KATHMANDU: A couple of days after 13 Nepal Army (NA) personnel fell prey to forest fire at Srithandanda Jungle in Ramecchhap, speculations abound as to whether they were well-trained to fight fire.

The NA personnel were charred to death as the fire engulfed the Jungle, which is located nearby Ramechhap Bazaar, 13 kilometers south of district headquarters of Manthali.

To bring the wildfire of such magnitude under control, trained fire-fighters armed with fire fighting equipments would have been necessary. Were these necessary precautions mulled over in advance to prevent any colossal damage?

The NA personnel deployed at Srijung Battalion were reportedly killed as they were trapped from all sides after the wind changed the direction. The deceased were among 150 army personnel assigned to fight fire. “The army personnel tried to quell the fire from opposite direction of the wind, which resulted in the tragedy,” said an officer of the battalion.

Dhruva Raj Giri, a commander at the Office of Juddha Fire Engine blamed the lack of precaution on the part of NA for the tragedy. “The army personnel advanced into the Jungle without considering any safety measures. They failed to find an escape route which led to their death,” he said.

Though all army personnel are trained with basic fire fighting, the personnel deployed to fight fire were not well-equipped. Water is used to fight fire in most of the cases, which is not adequate to quell fires of such magnitude.