Sundarbans fire: Fire service begins operation this morning
The forest department has formed a three-member committee to find out the cause of the fire and extent of damage
The Fire Service and Civil Defence begun its operation this morning to extinguish the flames ravaging the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world.
The fire erupted in the Amurbunia region within the Chandpai range of the Sundarbans East Zone yesterday afternoon (4 May).
Upon receiving the information, two units of firefighters rushed to the Amurbunia area. However, they could not reach the fire spot with firefighting machinery and equipment as the sun had set by the time they arrived.
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Mohammad Kaymuzzaman, station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defense Mongla station, stated that the distance of water from where the fire broke out is approximately two kilometres, which has hindered the initiation of fire extinguishing efforts.
"As it was evening, we had to return without commencing operations. However, we will enter the forest tomorrow morning to begin extinguishing the fire," he added.
When asked about the current situation of the fire, he mentioned that the abundance of dry leaves in the forest increases the possibility of the fire spreading with the wind.
"Currently, black smoke is visible in the area. However, monitoring is in place to prevent the fire from spreading to new areas," said the official.
Before sunset, the forest department and fire service personnel along with locals removed dry trees from several spots to prevent the fire from spreading to new areas.
They also cut small fire lines at various locations as a preventive measure.
Divisional Forest Officer Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim of Sundarbans East said the workers of the department rushed to douse the fire soon after seeing smoke this afternoon. Villagers also joined them.
According to the forest guards and eyewitnesses, fires had erupted in multiple locations in Latifer Chhila area of the Amurbunia region.
The flames are engulfing piles of leaves from various trees in the Sundarbans, with fires spreading across approximately 50 locations.
The extent of the fire is anticipated to cover a distance of one and a half kilometres, they said.
Community Patrol Group (CPG) member Monimoy Mondol, who took part in the extinguish efforts, said fires are still burning in various parts of the forest.
"The intense heat has made it impossible to enter certain areas. While we have doused the fire in some nearby locations, overall, the fire is still not under control," he added.
Divisional Forest Officer Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim said the cause of the fire is still unknown.
He could not confirm the overall damage of forest plants in the area where the fire originated.
He went on to say that a three-member committee has been formed to find out the cause of the fire and extent of damage.
Sundarbans is the world's largest mangrove forest, a world heritage site, located on the bank of the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh. It is also the home to the Royal Bengal Tiger.
The locals admiringly named the forest as Sundarbans, because of its enormous natural beauties and resources that hypnotise its visitors, not only because of its sage-like gravity in the middle of dense forest, but also because of its immense resources for its inhabitants.
Also, the forest protects its inhabitants from natural calamity, which is quite a regular event in this part of the world. Unfortunately, the Sundarbans have been losing its pristine beauty and resources at an exponential pace.
