Fire in Uttarakhand’s Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary kills 4 forest dept staffers, 4 injured

DEHRADUN: Four Uttarakhand forest department staffers died and four others were injured when the team was caught up in a raging forest fire in Almora district’s Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Conservator of Forests (North Kumaon Circle) Koko Rose said the four people died when they were trying to douse the fire. Four others who received burn injuries were initially shifted to a nearby hospital.

Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who has announced an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh for the next of kin of the dead, later ordered officials to airlift the injured to the Haldwani base hospital for better treatment.

Parag Madhukar Dhakate, special secretary to the chief minister, said the incident took place at about 3:30pm in the Civil Soyam Forest Division of Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary.

The four dead were identified as Dewan Ram (35), Karan Arya( 21), Trilok Mehta (56), who were employees of the forest department, and Puran Mehra (52), a Prantiya Rakshak Dal jawan.

Uttarakhand has reported 1,213 forest fire incidents after November 1 till Wednesday evening as compared to 663 incidents reported during the corresponding period last year, said Nishant Verma, Uttarakhand’s additional principal chief conservator of forests and state nodal officer for forest fires.

On Wednesday, the state reported 7 forest fire incidents, including 4 in Garhwal, 1 in Kumaon and 1 in the wildlife administrative area. Over 13 hectares of forest land were damaged in the seven fires.

“Of 1653 hectares of forest land damaged in forest fires this year, 687 hectares have been damaged in Garhwal region, 833 hectares in Kumaon region and 132 hectares in wildlife administrative regions,” he added.