Fire in 23 villages in Sundarbans, 6 fire service units bring it under control
Six units of the fire service are working to control the fire in the Shaplar Bill area of Teish Chilar in the Sundarbans, which has spread over at least half a kilometer. Khulna Fire Service Deputy Director Matiar Rahman confirmed the matter.
He said that it is more intense than the fire in the Kalmteji area. The fire has spread to different places. Six fire service units from Bagerhat and Khulna have been working to control the fire since Sunday. Water spraying has now started.
Kazi Mohammad Nurul Karim, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans East Forest Division, said, “While we were working to put out the fire at the Kalmteji patrol post, a new fire broke out in the Shaplar Bill area.”
He said that using drones and GPS tracking, fire service personnel identified the source of the fire around 11:30 am yesterday and quickly reached the spot.
The forest officer said, “When we came here, we saw intense fire in some areas. On the other hand, thick smoke is coming out from some places. The fire is spreading quickly because there is light wind inside the forest. We worked to control the fire with the help of local villagers and forest officials. Then we started giving water with the help of pipes.’
However, it is not yet confirmed how many acres of forest land have been damaged by the fire. Like Kalmateji, the water source around Shaplar Beel is also three kilometers away. Although the fire in Kalmateji is completely under control, the area is under observation.
Earlier, last Saturday, a fire broke out in the Kalmateji patrol outpost area of Chandpai Range of Sundarbans East Forest Division. However, the fire service was able to bring it under control. Still, the area has been kept under surveillance as a precaution.
A three-member investigation committee has been formed under the leadership of Chandpai Range Assistant Conservator of Forests Dipan Chandra Das to determine the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.
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