20160520 India Pauri forest fire spreads close to residential area
India May 20 2016 “Building” “Forest”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Pauri forest fire spreads close to residential area
Updated: 2016-05-20-21:34
A fire that broke out in the Pauri forest division on Thursday spread dangerously close to the town that it almost engulfed a number of buildings in the Kandolia area. A number of prominent buildings such as the district jail, residences of the district judge and the district magistrate are located in this part of the town.
Firefighting teams swung into action to douse the blaze that broke out about 11 am. It was finally put out by 4 pm. Two firefighters sustained minor burns during the operation to douse it. Divisional forest officials of Pauri division blamed locals for burning agro-refuse in the fields thereby triggering the fire.
Divisional forest official of Pauri Forest division Ramesh Chandra told TOI, “All these prominent places are situated in Kandolia area of the town. The forest which is in the backdrop of these buildings started burning the flames came close to these building in the afternoon. However, as soon as the news reached me at 11 am, a large workforce was engaged in dousing the fire which came under control by 4 pm in the evening. And none of these buildings were affected by the fire.”
When the incident happened, the divisional forest officials were attending a video-conference with seniors on forest fire.
Chandra said, “These days farmers are burning their agriculture refuse after harvesting the crop so that they can plough their fields before the monsoon. Though they have been advised to do so in the morning when the wind does not blow hard, some of them still carry out the exercise in the afternoon and, thus the fire spreads to adjoining forests.”
The firefighters sustained minor burns while in fighting the fire. They were later discharged from the local hospital after being administered first aid.
In another fire that broke out in the forests at Purola in the district on Friday, Gyan Singh, a forest employee at Tons Forest Division, not only sustained burns but also suffered multiple fractures when he slipped from aheight while trying to control the fire. Divisional forest officer Sandeep Kumar said, “The pine leaves which are scattered all over the ground in the forest are slippery. So despite the fact that the employees exercise caution while dousing the fire, Singh slipped over the pine leaves and fell from a height and fractured his bones. He has been rushed to Himalayan Hospital at Jolly Grant in Dehradun.”
On Friday, as many as 22 incidents of fire were reported in the Garhwal region and 34 hectare of forest land was gutted while in Kumaon, seven incidents were reported resulting in the destruction of some 14 hectare of forest. Till date, a total of 4,343 hectare forest has been affected by forest fires in the state.
Web Source: THE TIMES OF INDIA
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/Pauri-forest-fire-spreads-close-to-residential-area/articleshow/52365681.cms