Rain douses Sundarbans fire, ministry says

The site is wet enough and some places have become waterlogged, an official says

The fire at Amurbunia under Chandpai range of the Sundarbans in Bagerhat has been completely extinguished by rain.

Khulna Zone Conservator of Forest Mihir Kumar Doe confirmed the development in a statement released by the Ministry of Environment, First and Climate Change on Tuesday.

He said the rain drenched the forest, starting on Monday afternoon.

On Tuesday morning, Forest Department and Fire Service personnel used drones to monitor the site every hour, while multiple teams also walked into the forest, but did not find any signs of fire, Mihir said.

“The site is wet enough and some places have become waterlogged,” he said.

Mihir is heading a committee to assess the damage to biodiversity and resources caused by the fire.

The ministry on Monday said the fire damaged nearly 2 hectares (5 acres) of forest after it had spread over an area of approximately 3 hectares (7.9 acres).

Smoke was seen rising from the flames on Saturday afternoon. The Forest Department and local villagers began efforts to extinguish the fire. Later, the Fire Service, Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force joined the efforts.