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 and fifth overall - 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 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.
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. 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 latest death was that of a 28-year-old woman labourer of Nepalese origin.
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.
