Sundarbans fire doused finally after 30 hours

The fire that broke out in the Daser Bharani Patrol Camp area under Sharonkhola range in the Sundarbans has finally been doused after 30 hours.

It came completely under control on Tuesday afternoon before burning down trees in 1.31 acres of forest land, said Mohammad Belayet Hossain, a divisional forest officer.

The Forest Department and the Fire Service and Civil Defence could not determine the cause behind the fire incident.

The Fire Service and Civil Defence personnel trying to put out a fire in the Daser Bharani Patrol Camp area under the Sundarbans mangrove forest’s Sharonkhola range on Tuesday, May 4, 2021.

“No smoke is seen in the areas that have been sprayed with water. The villagers and fire service personnel who took part in extinguishing the fire left the scene around 4pm,” Belayet said.

Fire trucks could not reach the scene in the dense forest when the fire erupted on Tuesday morning.

The Forest Department initially suspected that the fire might have originated from burning cigarette thrown by fishermen or honey collectors.

About four acres of forest in the Dhansagar area of the Chandpai Range in the eastern part of the Sundarbans were burnt in a fire on Feb 8 this year.

On Monday, hundreds of residents from East Rajapur, Majherchar and Rasulpur villages joined the efforts to keep the fire from spreading by cutting fire lines and dousing trees with water from the Bhola river, which is around one kilometre away from the scene. There is no other source of water in the area.

“A lack of water has made our job difficult,” said Belayet.