TIMERGARA - A major forest fire broke out in the dense forest of Macho and Amlok Dara Talash near Jalil Baba on Saturday. Taking notice of calls from forest owners, Lower Dir Deputy Commissioner Wasil Khan directed Assistant Commissioner Tariq Khan to manage the fire. A large number of local volunteers, most of them owners of the forest, rushed to the site and started a fire extinguishing operation. Despite struggling for hours, the fire flames were not controlled.
Rescue 1122 firefighters, along with officials from the forest department and Dir Levis, also reached the spot and started their efforts to douse the flames but to no avail. Eyewitnesses said the fire had engulfed a large portion of the forest within the early four hours.
An official of the forest department said frequent incidents of forest fires were occurring due to dried-up vegetation, dry weather, and speedy winds. He asked local residents to cooperate with the forest department in preventing such incidents.
Meanwhile, a major forest fire that broke out in the mountains of Ghazo, Osakai, Barcharai, and Badwan five days ago was overcome. Abdur Rehman, an official of Rescue 1122, told local journalists at Timergara that the forest fire was totally controlled on Saturday. Rescue 1122 Director North Arshad Iqbal, accompanied by District Emergency Officer Ibrar Ali, visited the site and supervised the operation.
Dozens of Rescue 1122 firefighters from Lower Dir, Swat, and Malakand, along with officials from the forest and wildlife departments, Dir Levis, personnel of the Frontier Corps, civil defense, and local volunteers, succeeded in extinguishing the fire on the fifth day. Several workers were slightly injured, and some fainted during the operation. Residents lauded the services of the workers and volunteers.
Abdur Rehman said the Rescue 1122 firefighters, with the help of a fire extinguisher vehicle, succeeded in overcoming another forest fire at Danwa Hill late on Friday night. He said the Danwa forest fire had been controlled on time.
ROAD ACCIDENT: Four persons, including women, were injured when a car plunged into a deep ravine at Walai Kandao area in the jurisdiction of Balambat police station on Saturday, police said.
The Rescue 1122 medical team rushed to the site and shifted the injured to DHQ hospital Timergara after providing them first aid. The vehicle was also rescued.