600 hectares of Haldwani forest destroyed in fire

BD Kasniyal

Advertisement

Pithoragarh, May 22

Over 600 hectares of forest in a 3 km area was destroyed in a major fire in the Haldwani range of the Terai central forest division last night. The incident led to panic as the fire spread to the area near an oil IOC deport at Halduchur.

“Two fire engines  from the Haldwani fire station and  one from the Lalkuan paper mill were requisitioned and they poured over 50,000   litres  of water  to control  the fire and  stop it from spreading to the IOC depot and  nearby huts,” said  Ramesh Kandpal, SDO, Terai  central  forest division.

Villagers residing nearby the Lalkuam range said the incident exposed the lackluster arrangements made by the Forest Department to put off fires as its team reached three hours late and used sticks to extinguish the blaze. However, winds helped the fire to spread fast. “Had the department established a fire station and appointed staff there, the fire could have been controlled much early,” said Ramesh Mundela, a villager.