Fire spreads across four locations in Sulaiman Range forests

Wildfires have broken out in the forests of the Sulaiman Range in Dera Ismail Khan, spreading across multiple areas and threatening local vegetation.

The sources said that the fire has spread across multiple locations, posing a threat to the region's precious vegetation, adding that flames can be seen at four different locations along the mountain's base.

An official from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Department earlier last year confirmed that 249 fires occurred in the province in the first half of the last year, damaging around 1,918 hectares of forest land.

He said that blazes were reported on both public and private properties, because of negligence, accidental sparks, and natural factors such as lightning among some factors.

The recent DI Khan fire can be seen in the village of Tajri located to the north of the mountain and in the Almar Kalan valley to the south of another mountain.

The wildfire is so intense that its flames are visible from the Daraainda Tehsil Headquarters. The blaze has spread rapidly over several kilometres during the past few hours, said the sources.

As the fire continues to rage and devastate the lush forest landscape, local sources expressed concerns about potential damage to valuable trees in the area, including olive and pine species.

KP forest saw 306 fires in first six months of 2024

As many as 306 fire incidents were recorded in the forests of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the first six months of 2024, according to The News report on July 23, 2024.

Official records reveal that the highest number of incidents occurred in the district of Abbottabad, with around 122 fires.

District Lower Dir reported 45 incidents, while Malakand experienced 23 fires, significantly damaging forest areas. Districts Orakzai and Battagram each reported 19 incidents.The data also shows 17 incidents in Swabi, 10 in Upper Dir, nine in Mardan, eight in Karak, and six in Mohmand.

Additionally, four incidents each were recorded in the districts of Khyber, D.I. Khan, and Kohat. Buner, Lower Chitral, Shangla, and North Waziristan each reported three incidents, while South Waziristan saw two forest fires.

One incident was reported in Tank and Bajaur each. The fire in Lower Dir’s Badwan Adan Zai Hill was brought under control after a six-day-long operation.