According to a representative for the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Pakistan Army, FC troops, and Pakistan Rangers have been called in to help put out a fire in Balochistan’s Chilgoza (pinenut) forest. According to sources on Saturday, the fire has been blazing for 12 days and has claimed at least three lives.
The fire has already spread to two districts throughout the province, covering at least six acres. A helicopter has also been dispatched to help put out the fire. The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has provided the Balochistan government with firefighting equipment.
The fire has not been made any easier to contain by the steep terrain. The pinenut forest is one of the world’s largest, and fauna such as deer call it home.
“The Chilgoza Forest nestled in Balochistan’s Suleiman Range is being ravaged by a blazing forest fire. Hundreds of hectares have been reduced to ash, threatening wildlife and local communities,” according to a tweet from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan.
Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, took notice of the disaster and expressed his heartfelt grief over the deaths. He instructed the federal institutions to work with the provincial administration to put out the fire.
According to Radio Pakistan, the premier appointed Federal Minister for Housing and Works Molana Abdul Wasay as his special representative to supplement and better coordinate firefighting efforts in the Balochistan province’s Sheerani and Musakhel districts, as well as KPK’s Dera Ismail Khan District.
Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, the Chief Minister of Balochistan, has urged officials to deploy all available resources and international organisations to ensure the safety of people and animals in the affected area.
At the foothills of the damaged area, a safe city with at least 100 camps was established, where food and other necessities were provided.
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