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On June 13, a devastating forest fire in the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary in Almora, Uttarakhand, claimed the lives of four forest personnel. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered that the injured be transferred to AIIMS in New Delhi from the Sushila Tiwari Government Hospital in Haldwani. Sadly, the death toll rose to five on Wednesday when 21-year-old Krishna Kumar, a fire watcher who had suffered 70% burns, passed away at AIIMS due to septic shock and multi-organ dysfunction.

The other three injured personnel—Bhagat Singh Bhoj, a forest department driver, Kailash Bhatt, a daily wager, and Kundan Negi, a PRD jawan—sustained 40-50% burns but are currently out of danger. However, infections can still complicate their recovery.

The fire's victims included Dewan Ram, a daily wager, Karan Arya, another fire watcher, Trilok Mehta, a forest beat officer, and Puran Singh, a PRD jawan. 

Investigation and response

The fire broke out around 3:30 PM in the Civil Soyam Forest Division of Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary. Following the incident, the forest department suspended several officials, including DFO Dhruv Singh Martolia, Conservator of Forests Koko Rose, and attached Chief Conservator of Forests PK Patro, to investigate the incident properly.

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This tragic event brings the total death toll from forest fires in Uttarakhand this year to 11. Earlier, on May 3, another fire in Almora's Someshwar tehsil killed four laborers trying to extinguish the flames.

Increasing forest fires in Uttarakhand

According to the forest department, Uttarakhand experienced 14 forest fires on Tuesday, damaging 27.3 hectares of forest land. This year, the state has reported 1,265 forest fires between November 1 and June 18. These fires have destroyed a total of 1,747.7 hectares of forest land, including 719.3 hectares in Garhwal, 886.03 hectares in Kumaon, and 142.3 hectares in wildlife administrative regions.

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Nishant Verma, additional principal chief conservator of forests, noted that the fires are widespread, with 549 occurring in the Garhwal region, 602 in Kumaon, and 114 in wildlife areas. The state continues to face significant challenges in managing and preventing these fires.