SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: A massive forest fire that broke out in the hilly region of Ghowarlama in the Sarvekai tehsil of Upper South Waziristan was brought under control on Monday evening after two days of relentless efforts.

According to officials, the fire erupted late Sunday night and spread rapidly due to strong winds, engulfing over three kilometres of mountainous terrain.

Divisional forest officer Tora Baan and Rescue 1122 spokesperson Shah Nawaz Wazir told Dawn that firefighting operations were carried out by rescue teams, forest department personnel, and local volunteers.

They said the challenging mountainous routes and continuous high winds posed serious difficulties during the operation.

They said the teams finally managed to extinguish the fire by Monday evening.

Rescue officials said the exact cause of the fire remained unknown, but initial assessments suggest that dry weather and strong winds were the main factors behind the rapid spread.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2025