RAGING WILDFIRES DISRUPT LIFE IN UTTARAKHAND, CLAIM 4TH LIFE IN 3 DAYS

DEHRADUN: Raging fires in several forest ranges of Uttarakhand have claimed the life of a 28-year-old woman — the fourth casualty in the past three days — even as the Adi Kailash helicopter darshan service, which began last month, has been suspended for the second day in a row. Flight arrivals at the Naini-Saini airport in Pithoragarh have been stopped due to low visibility in fire-induced haze.

Pilgrims at Dunagiri temple, a prominent shrine in Almora district, were forced to flee on Saturday as fire engulfed the passage to the shrine, lined with bells. Videos showed pilgrims screaming and scrambling for safety, as leaping flames appear to give chase. Forest officials attributed the rapid spread of the fire to strong winds that transformed it into a “crown fire”. Priests and the forest department team quickly helped pilgrims to safety and no casualties were reported.

Locals said the fires have left a trail of ash dust everywhere and they are breathing it in. “There are a few places on the road from Haldwani where rocks have fallen and there are landslides due to the fires. We are seeing the hills burning at night and in daytime, the smoke prevents visibility. It’s almost like an apocalypse,” said a resident of Mukteshwar.

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In Chamoli district, the blaze engulfed a large kiwi orchard. Fires on hilltops in parts of Garhwal region like Rudraprayag and Chamoli were also reported on Sunday. Forest officials said that about 910 incidents of forest fire have been reported since Nov 1 last year, when the blaze was first reported in the state, destroying over 1,144 hectares of forest land. The fires have been raging for almost six months now, not unlike the California wildfires. Kumaon division is the worst-affected, reporting the maximum of 482 incidents.

The wildfires have resulted in the deaths of five people so far. The most recent death was that of a 28-year-old woman labourer of Nepalese origin. The victim, identified by her first name, Puja, 28, was grievously injured while trying to douse a forest fire near a pine resin factory in Almora district three days ago. She died of burn injuries on Saturday. Her husband and two others had died last week while battling the same fire.

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The fires have also impacted tourism activities, putting a question mark on trekking and mountaineering trips in Kumaon region, with many groups who were planning such trips now unsure whether to go ahead. “Normally, trekking season starts after May 10 in the Kumaon region. We’re hoping that wildfires will be controlled by then. If not, we will have to issue an advisory for visitors,” said Kirti Arya, district tourism officer of Pithoragarh.

Officials said forest fire incidents in Uttarakhand are mainly attributed to human activities. They said locals sometimes ignite grasslands to clear areas for agriculture or livestock grazing, inadvertently sparking larger wildfires. Besides, the loss of soil moisture due to scanty rainfall this pre-monsoon season and presence of the dry leaves, pine needles and other flammable substances present in the forest have also contributed to such incidents, officials pointed out.

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Additional chief conservator of forests, Nishant Verma, who is the nodal officer of forest fires in the state, said in the last 24 hours, about 24 incidents of fire spreading across 36.5 hectares of forest lands were reported. “This includes 22 incidents from Kumaon division alone.”

Raging fires had reached close to Nainital city last month, when the Indian Air Force was engaged in firefighting operations. Forest areas in parts of Nainital, Haldwani and Ramnagar forest divisions were the worst affected. In some of these areas, the fires were doused with the help of Mi-17 choppers.