With temperatures rising sharply across Punjab, the province has seen a noticeable uptick in forest fire cases.
Thanks to swift and organised efforts under the Punjab Forest Department’s Fire Emergency Response System, serious damage to forest land has been avoided so far.
A department spokesperson reported that on June 10, three fire incidents were recorded, two in Murree and one in Attock.
The first broke out at 7:00 PM in Compartment 85 of Sumbli Forest, the second at 9:00 PM in Compartment 20 of Kotli Forest, and the third around 2:00 AM in Compartment 15 of Attock Khurd Forest.
Trained field personnel responded immediately and managed to control all three fires before they could spread widely. The total area affected was about 3.5 acres of undergrowth and grass. Thankfully, no injuries or major property losses were reported.
Authorities are warning that with summer heat intensifying, the risk of forest fires remains high. Citizens have been urged to “refrain from lighting fires or smoking near forested areas to prevent such incidents.”
Earlier, two more fires had been reported in the Karor Forest of Kotli Sattian and the communal forests of Lehtarar. Both were contained quickly, with minimal damage limited to a few acres of vegetation and no casualties or monetary losses.
The Forest Department remains on high alert and ready to respond to any emergency. A department spokesperson noted that, following directives from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, a well-structured plan is being implemented to reduce fire outbreaks and safeguard Punjab’s forested regions.
In a separate incident last month, part of the Muhammad Khan forest in Kathri (under the Hatri police station’s jurisdiction) caught fire during the night, burning mostly wild plants and around 50 mature trees across seven to ten acres. The forest spans a total of 181 acres.
District Forest Officer Rizwan Memon said that “fortunately no harm to life, or to the houses in the forest’s vicinity, occurred in the incident.”
He added that an accurate damage estimate has yet to be made, as high temperatures and hot ground conditions on Friday prevented inspection of the burned areas.