Gaighat, March 24

The wildfire that has been raging for the last two weeks has yet to brought under control in different national and community forests of Udayapur district.

Assistant Forest Officer Lal Babu Yadav of District Forest Office, Udayapur, said consumers of the forest and staffers of the office, along with the police personnel, have been trying their best to bring the fire under control, but in vain.

He said the wildfire, which has spread in Adarsh and Srijana Community Forest, Amarjyoti community forest, Tapeshwori National Forest, Mayalu Community Forest, Saraswati Community Forest, Risku, of the district is yet to be brought under control.

Meanwhile, the forest office urged locals of Gaighat and surrounding areas to be alert, saying the fire might enter human settlements.

“The wildfire has destroyed too much,” Yadav said, adding that police personnel, forest security, and locals, among others, have been deployed to control the fire.

According to statistics of district forest office, the fire has spread in 32 percent of the total community forest land.

The office said human settlements in the forest area were at high risk. It is said the fire had spread from Phuljore Forest of Hadiya VDC, Udayapur.