Third Fire in 20 Days Damages Pine Nut Forests

A third major wildfire in less than three weeks has erupted in the pine nut-rich forests of Balochistan’s Zhob Division, causing extensive ecological and financial damage, 24NewsHD TV reported Wednesday. The blaze has swept through vast areas of the valuable chilgoza (pine nut) woodlands, with estimated losses running into millions of rupees.

Local authorities remain overwhelmed, as a lack of adequate firefighting tools and personnel has hampered efforts to control the flames. The blaze continues to threaten one of the region’s most vital natural and economic resources.

In a separate development, wildfires were also reported in Murree at two locations: near the Expressway in Manga and in Forest No. 2, Phagwari. According to Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sudheer Mughal, firefighting teams have been mobilized and operations are underway to bring the situation under control.

These latest fires add to a troubling series of forest blazes witnessed in recent months. On January 10, 2025, a fire broke out in the Koh-i-Suleman forest range in Darra Zinda tehsil, quickly spreading through areas dense with olive and pine trees. Rescue 1122 officials reported that flames erupted in four distinct locations, including Tajori village and Al-Mar-Kalan, destroying rare tree species like olive, pine nut, nettle, and gur-gure, and forcing local wildlife to flee.

Forest Department sources have attributed many such fires to human activity, including the intentional burning of dry grass by locals. Combined with high seasonal winds, these small flames often escalate rapidly into large-scale disasters, particularly in mountainous terrain where access for fire trucks is limited.

During the January incident, emergency teams from Rescue 1122 and the Wildlife Department used manual containment methods, such as smothering and creating firebreaks, to control the spread of flames in remote areas.

This year’s wildfire season is a stark reminder of previous catastrophic events. On October 31, 2024, a large-scale fire broke out in Dera Ismail Khan’s pine forests and extended into Balochistan’s Sherani District. Battling strong winds and rough terrain, local authorities, aided by the Frontier Corps and levies, worked for days to extinguish the fire.

That event recalled the devastating 2022 inferno in the same region, which destroyed hundreds of pine trees. In that instance, firefighting efforts only succeeded after Iran dispatched an Ilyushin-76 aircraft, which dropped massive amounts of water in back-to-back sorties to douse the flames.

Authorities now face renewed pressure to invest in modern firefighting equipment and preventive measures to protect these environmentally and economically vital forest zones from recurring wildfires.