Fire breaks out near Dachigam National Park in Srinagar

Fire was reported around late hours of Saturday night and was contained at around early hours of Sunday, said an official

A major fire broke out in the forests surrounding Dachigam National Park in the outskirts of Srinagar during Saturday night, officials said on Sunday.

The officials said that the forest fire was reported deep in the forest area of Brain-Nishat conservation reserve, part of the Dachigam wildlife corridor in Zabarwan mountains, which is a protected area owing to the presence of important flora and fauna, including critically endangered red deer, Hangul. (File)

They said that the forest fire was reported deep in the forest area of Brain-Nishat conservation reserve, part of the Dachigam wildlife corridor in Zabarwan mountains, which is a protected area owing to the presence of important flora and fauna, including critically endangered red deer, Hangul.

Range officer, Fida Hussain said that it took hours to contain the black blaze due to night time. “Mostly wildgrass was on fire and it took a few hours to contain the fire,” he said.

“This is Brain-Nishat conservation reserve and is surrounding the Dachigam National Park,” he said.

He said that the area is dry owing to largely deficit precipitation in autumn and current winter season. “The forests are prone to fire in dry winter seasons. Sometimes people leave cigarette butts or an unintended fire caused by burning of coal and sparks in the nearby residential areas,” he said.

The official said that mostly grass was on fire and the trees were not much involved. The fire was meticulously put out by two methods as fire service vehicles could not reach the forest area.

“We created rings trimming down the grass around the fire cutting off the fuel and also used fire extinguishing balls,” he said.

Dachigam National Park, a vast mountainous sanctuary (141 sq km) on the outskirts of Srinagar, and the surrounding areas is the only abode of Hangul -Kashmir’s royal stag – a critically endangered species of red deer found only in the Valley.

The Brain Nishat Conservation Reserve is an important habitat and corridor for the species such as Hangul (Cervus hanglu hanglu), Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), and Kashmir Musk Deer (Moschus cupreus).

The official said that no animal was harmed due to the fire as it was on its periphery. “The fire was contained by 2 am in the morning after it was reported around 11 pm” he said.