A fire broke out in the Saleem Bagh mountain range near Mansehra city, causing extensive damage to trees, plants and wildlife, officials said.
District Emergency Officer Ibrar Ali said rescue teams were actively working to extinguish the blaze in the Saleem Bagh forests.
“Our teams are actively engaged in efforts to extinguish the fire that erupted in Saleem Bagh forests,” Ali told reporters.
Firefighters, along with fire tenders, rushed to the site and began efforts to bring the fire under control. Officials said the blaze spread quickly because of dry grass and pine needles in the forest.
Ali said the fire was moving rapidly toward nearby residential areas, but the swift response of emergency teams prevented it from spreading beyond the forested area.
“The fire was rapidly advancing towards nearby residential areas, but the swift response of our teams restricted it to the forested area,” he said.
He said firefighters also used traditional methods to control the blaze in high-altitude areas where fire tenders could not reach.
Ali urged the public to avoid throwing or dumping flammable materials in forests, saying such fires damage trees, herbs and shrubs, and also kill wildlife, which is an important part of biodiversity.
