ALMORA
: A 21-year-old
forest watcher
, who received 70% burns in the
wildfire
that erupted in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary and killed four
forest personnel
, died at
AIIMS Delhi
on Wednesday after battling his injuries for almost a week.
The incident had occurred on June 13 when forest teams were sent to extinguish the
blaze
at the sanctuary. However, the fire was raging so intensely that the workers were soon engulfed in the flames, suffering severe burns, as per officials.
Four forest department personnel were burnt alive, while four others were grievously injured during a
firefighting
operation. Thereafter, the four injured, including the forest watcher Krishna Kumar, were airlifted to AIIMS Delhi for advanced medical treatment but he could not be saved.
Meanwhile, fresh
fire incidents
were reported from the sanctuary on Tuesday. Sources said that the fire reignited at some of the same spots as earlier, causing alarm among local residents. The renewed flames are believed to have originated from the smouldering roots of oak and kafal trees. The situation escalated on Wednesday when fires spread to the Kataramal and Kasar forests, as well as other parts of the Binsar Sanctuary. Mahesh Chandra, fire safety officer in Almora, said that "firefighting teams are encountering significant difficulties due to the challenging terrain, which prevents vehicles from accessing the core areas of the forest. "Our teams are on the ground, doing their best to control the fire manually," Chandra added.
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