Daily Times

Authorities on Sunday doused another forest fire that erupted on Margalla Hills as the country remains under the grip of a heatwave. The latest fire erupted only a day after authorities in the federal capital controlled fire in two separate locations in the Margalla hills. However, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Memon said the fire erupted again on the Margalla Hills part located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) teams were present on the site to control the fire and added that 36 firefighters participated in the firefighting operation. The deputy commissioner said authorities established a firewall to stop the flames from entering the federal city. The Islamabad administration undertook joint efforts with the KP government to contain the flames, he added. The Margalla range, part of the Himalayan foothills, has experienced bushfires relatively often in the summer months. Lately, the fire intermittently erupted in the Islamabad hills. Officials are yet to confirm if the fires are related to the high temperatures or due to arson. However, three suspects were arrested on suspicion of igniting the forest fires, the capital’s administration said on Friday.