SEERAT-UN-NISA
BANDIPORA, Dec 02: A high-risk forest fire that raged for nearly six days along the Line of Control (LoC) in Bagtote village of the Gurez Valley was finally brought under control on Wednesday, following a strenuous and coordinated multi-agency operation in one of Kashmir’s most treacherous terrains. The Army’s timely coordination and assistance proved crucial in managing and containing the blaze in the sensitive border zone.
District Forest Officer (DFO) Bandipora, Waseem Farooq Mir, told Kashmir Despatch that the fire broke out in an extremely difficult area close to the LoC, which immediately required close coordination with Army units stationed in the region. Only after ensuring safe access and communication channels could the joint teams move in to tackle the advancing flames.
Mir said the forest department, supported by the Forest Protection Force, local police, disaster management teams, civil administration, and the Army, worked continuously for five days to contain the fire before bringing it under control on Wednesday. He added that teams remain on the ground to carry out mopping operations to eliminate any half-burnt patches that could trigger a fresh blaze.
Officials estimate that the fire affected around 20 to 30 hectares of forest area. However, Mir clarified that no major loss of trees has been reported. “Gurez typically experiences ground fires due to its cold climatic conditions, where only dry grass and surface vegetation burn. Such fires generally do not cause large-scale damage to standing trees,” he said, noting that this helped minimize ecological loss despite the large affected area.
The rugged terrain of Gurez, combined with sub-zero temperatures and poor accessibility, made both firefighting and post-fire monitoring extremely challenging. Yet the coordinated effort ensured the blaze did not spread deeper into the forest or towards civilian habitations.
Local officials said that several minor forest fire incidents were also reported in other parts of Bandipora over the past week, all of which were successfully extinguished. However, the Bagtote blaze remained the most prolonged and high-risk incident due to its location near the LoC and the scale it achieved before teams could fully reach the spot.
DFO Mir appealed to residents to remain vigilant and promptly report even small fire incidents to the district control room, emphasizing that timely alerts are crucial to protecting the district’s “green gold.” He added that the department is adequately equipped and trained to handle such incidents and will continue improving its response capabilities.
The successful containment of the Gurez fire underscores the importance of swift coordination between civil agencies and the Army in Kashmir’s border regions, where challenging topography and security sensitivities often complicate disaster-management efforts.
