A forest fire broke out on the popular Triund trekking route in the Dhauladhar mountains, a major attraction for trekkers and tourists, triggering concern among the forest authorities.
While the exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, forest officials suspect it may have been deliberately triggered either by locals or trekkers to prevent wild animals, particularly bears, from coming down from the higher reaches. Due to snow and harsh weather conditions on higher reaches, the wild animals normally come down in search of food.
The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Amit Sharma stated that the fire has been brought under control by the Forest Department. “No major loss to forest cover has been reported.
However, the fire has affected nearly five hectares of land,” he said. But, the local trekking guides and porters claim that the forest fire has affected more than 20 hectares of land.
Responding to a query regarding the cause of the incident, the DFO said preliminary inputs from local sources suggest that the fire may have been intentionally lit to prevent wild animals from coming onto the trekking route.
“However, this information is yet to be verified and the matter is under investigation,” he added.
The locals said that the fire erupted on Thursday and continued to smoulder in parts of the area before being controlled on Tuesday.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Forest Department has put the area on high alert. Amit Sharma said that staff have been deployed at Triund to monitor the situation closely.
“Our employees will remain stationed there to coordinate and stay vigilant as the risk of forest fires remains high due to the dry season,” he said.
Triund is one of the most frequent trekking destinations in Himachal Pradesh and forest officials have urged visitors and locals to avoid activities that could trigger fires and to immediately report any signs of smoke or fire.
