In Uttarakhand's Almora district, a devastating fire in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary led to the tragic deaths of four forest department staffers and injured four others. The incident occurred around 3:30 PM in the Civil Soyam Forest Division. The deceased have been identified as Dewan Ram (35), Karan Arya (21), Trilok Mehta (56), all employees of the forest department, and Puran Mehra (52), a member of the Prantiya Rakshak Dal.
Koko Rose, Conservator of Forests (North Kumaon Circle), stated that the victims were trying to extinguish the fire when they lost their lives. The injured individuals were initially taken to a nearby hospital but later airlifted to the Haldwani base hospital for better treatment, as ordered by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. The Chief Minister also announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹10 lakh for the families of the deceased.
Uttarakhand has experienced a significant increase in forest fire incidents this year. Since November 1, there have been 1,213 reported incidents, compared to 663 during the same period last year. On Wednesday alone, the state recorded seven forest fire incidents, affecting areas in Garhwal, Kumaon, and wildlife administrative regions.
Nishant Verma, the state's additional principal chief conservator of forests and nodal officer for forest fires, reported that over 13 hectares of forest land were damaged in these seven fires. This year, a total of 1,653 hectares of forest land have been damaged by fires, with 687 hectares in the Garhwal region, 833 hectares in the Kumaon region, and 132 hectares in wildlife administrative regions.
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