Daily Times

The recent forest fires in Islamabad’s Margalla Hills were caused by “negligence and mischief,” a government official said on Monday, days after authorities spent hours dousing flames that erupted in different locations of the picturesque mountains in the city’s capital.

The Margalla range, part of the Himalayan foothills, has often experienced bushfires in the summer months. The mountain range has caught fire different times this month as various parts of the country remain in the grip of a severe heat wave. “There are no species in Islamabad’s forests that can catch fire by themselves,” Irfan Niazi, the director-general of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) told Geo News. “This is either the result of someone’s negligence or mischief which is done deliberately and then it spreads.”

The official explained that high temperature, high-speed winds, and “fuel” were the main ingredients of a forest fire. He added that fuel was already present at Margalla Hills in the form of dry leaves and fallen tree trunks.

“As soon as the temperature rises, the wind turns warm and rises upwards,” he said. “However, the cold wind that comes along to take its place results in high-speed winds. Now all these things are conducive for a forest fire. Then when anyone engages in mischief, it causes the fire to rise and spread.”

Niazi said no loss of life or damage to property due to the fires have been reported so far. He said whenever a fire erupts, the CDA prioritizes dousing the flames nearest to the areas where people reside.

Niazi said during the previous years, the CDA hired 300-350 additional personnel for three months to battle forest fires. However, the authority has increased this number to 450 to ensure the forest fires remained contained.

In response to a question, he said it was difficult to transport heavy machinery or trucks to mountainous terrains where fires often erupt.

“We transport firefighters in vehicles but then they have to walk miles to reach the fire site,” Niazi said. “We use conventional techniques like beating bushes and also cutting them to douse the fire.”