MOHMAND/BAJAUR: A large fire broke out in the mountainous regions of Khaista Kor, Olas Kor and Kasorai in Pandyali tehsil of Mohmand tribal district on Thursday.

According to Rescue 1122, despite a lack of accessible routes to the affected areas, the firefighters hiked for over three hours to reach the site and launched fire extinguishing operations.

A spokesman for Rescue 1122 said due to the absence of pathways for fire vehicles, the firefighting team employed alternative traditional methods such as starvation (cutting off the fire’s fuel supply) and smothering (creating barriers to contain the fire).

“These efforts have significantly reduced the spread of the fire but complete containment is still in progress,” he said.

The spokesman said that several individuals sustained injuries during the operation.

Officials said that all available resources were being utilised to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible, with the utmost priority being the protection of lives and property in the area.

In Bajaur tribal district, many trees and plants were destroyed in hours-long wildfire in the mountains of the Arang area of Utmankhel tehsil on Thursday.

Rescue 1122 officials and residents said that hundreds of trees and plants, both natural and those planted by the forest department, were destroyed by the fire in the Koota Shah mountains on Wednesday evening.

The residents said soon after the fire erupted, scores of people, mostly youth, went there to put it out. They, however, struggled due to a lack of expertise and necessary equipment.

Rescue 1122 said the Koota Shah mountain fire was fully extinguished on Thursday after several hours, leaving numerous trees and plants destroyed and damaged.

In a statement, Rescue 1122 said that the mountain fire was successfully controlled through a joint effort involving Rescue firefighters, civil defence workers, and wildlife and forest department personnel.

It added that scores of trees in the mountain were destroyed in the fire but no damage to public life was reported.

However, the cause of the fire was not known.

Rescue 1122 cautioned residents against setting forests ablaze.

It noted that the forests were not just composed of trees and plants, but they also served as habitats for thousands of birds and other wildlife and contributed to the area’s natural beauty.

Meanwhile, sources in both local forest and wildlife departments told Dawn that they had launched an investigation into the incident, which caused the destruction of a large number of plants and several wildlife as well.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2025