Sundarbans blaze engulfs over 2 acres of forest
Morelganj UNO said the fire is currently under control
The fire that broke out in the Amurbunia region within the Chandpai range of the Sundarbans East Zone yesterday, spread across two acres of the world's largest mangrove forest, the Fire Service said today (5 May).
However, local people claimed that the fire engulfed more than three acres of forest land.
"Starting at 6:00am today, firefighting operations were initiated, drawing water from the canal adjacent to the Sundarbans. This was facilitated by maintaining a relay system through six fire pumps. However, due to the lack of space for pump installation, the firefighting operation was conducted with the pump installed on a boat," the Fire Service said in a press release this evening.
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The Fire Service noted that since this is a bushfire, there are still sporadic fires in various parts of the forest.
Long distance (2.5 km) of the fire from the water source and the remote territory were mentioned as the obstacles to extinguishing the fire.
"Due to security concerns, the district administration has suspended firefighting efforts at night. Operations will resume tomorrow at 5:30am," said the media release.
Meanwhile, the environment ministry said the fire at Sundarbans is now under control.
In a statement, the ministry said the fire did not spread to the top of the tree or branches, only spread sporadically above the ground.
Earlier in the morning, separate teams of Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard joined the firefighting efforts.
The Sundarbans East Forest Division has formed a three-member investigation committee to determine the cause of the fire and assess the damage.
The committee, headed by Assistant Forest Conservator (ACF) Rana Deb, has been asked to submit a report within seven days.
