Forest Fires Continue Across Uttarakhand, Nearly 2,000 Hectares of Green Cover Destroyed So Far

Dehradun: Fresh 73 cases of forest fire were reported from parts of Uttarakhand on Wednesday, said an official.

However, the number of fire incidents declined against Tuesday's 94, Chief Conservator of Forests PK Singh said.

Around 5,000 regular employees and daily wagers had been deployed to douse the flames with the help of police, NDRF, SDRF, Revenue Department and local people, he said.

Since the beginning of the forest fire season, nearly 2,000 hectares of green cover had been destroyed, PK Singh said.

Nainital had been the worst hit with 289 fire incidents followed by Almora (201) and Tehri (105), he said.

Rain would have helped control such incidents but the MeT Department has predicted the continuation of the dry spell.