There have been disturbing reports of forest fires in five districts of KP. These include Haripur, Swat, Shangla, Lower Dir and Mohmand. Four members of a family lost their lives in the incidents. The blaze had damaged both young plants and mature pine trees. A forest range officer in Swat said that fire breakouts usually occurred when the scorching heat turned green grass and shrubs into tinder. In that situation, a thoughtless move by a farmer or a smoker could spark a natural disaster.
The firefighting efforts had been going on. Those taking part in these efforts included the jawans of Army, Swat police, Swat levies, civil defence, employees of Rescue 1122, TMA Ghazi and workers of a Chinese company near Tarbela. Answering a question about the relief work, the deputy commissioner of Shangla, Ziaur Rehman, said that the area, under his jurisdiction, where the wildfire had broken out, was located at a high altitude and, therefore, it was inaccessible.
Much of the beauty of Shangla is linked with the elegant mountains and the tall pine trees on top of them. The random response of the DC indicates that the fires may continue to play havoc with the trees and the environment, because gusty winds are further fanning the fires. The heat, smoke and the ashes may add to the existing pollution brought about by the seasonal tourists, both national and international. The people living in villages close to the forest fires are being shifted to safe places temporarily. They can return home, when normalcy is restored.