Wildfire destroys forests in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: A wildfire destroyed forests in Shergar area of Oghi tehsil on Monday. The fire which broke out in the morning and couldn't be put out even in the evening, destroying newly planted saplings and pine, Didar and Biar trees. It also caused damage to wildlife and people living around those villages attempted on their own to extinguish the fire but it engulfed the entire area rapidly. "I have directed my department to put out the fire in Shergar forests," Azhar Khan, the conservator of the Forest Department in Hazara, told reporters.

He said the fire apparently broke out accidentally but even then it is being probed to find out if some locals are behind it. According to residents, a National Accountability Bureau team was investigating alleged embezzlement in the Billion Tree Tsunami programme, which was launched by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's previous government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.