Massive Fire Rages In Uttarakhand's Urgam Valley

More than 100 hectares of forest land in Uttarakhand has been burnt to the ground due to forest fires in Urgam Valley’s Bhenta Bharki. A massive fire is raging in Dwaridhar Tok in Urgam Village Forest Council, due to which there is thick smog in the area.

After villagers, now Forest Department workers are also making efforts to douse the fires. If the fires are not controlled in time, they could spread to the jungles near Urgam too.

Former Pradhan Union president Lakshman Negi said that the jungles of Bhenta Bharki have been in the grip of fires for the past three days. If the fires are not doused soon, several hectares of forest area will turn to ash.

Forest Circle Officer Dhirendra Chandra Bisht said that six forest workers have been deployed in the region to put out the fires and efforts are being made to bring the fires under control soon.

The villagers of Bhenta Bharki, after working hard the entire last night, saved more than 20,000 trees from the fires in Bhenta and Takhora Tok in Pilkhi.

When villagers of Bhenta Bharki found out that the forest fires have reached two plantations in Bhenta Bharki, they reached the spot immediately and put out the fires in the surrounding area. The villagers kept dousing the fire throughout the night. 

Trees of several rare species including Banj (Oak), Buransh (Rhododendron), Panya, Moru (a type of Oak), Kharsu (a type of Oak) and Pangar are found in this plantation.