Uttarakhand Forest Fire: Esha Gupta says, 'Images circulating are fake'; apologises later

Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the state of Uttarakhand has been reeling under the effects of another tragedy. For the past four days, the state has been burning up as wildfires break out in different regions of the Uttarakhand. Many have been sharing Uttarakhand Forest Fire images on social media but the official handle of Chief Minister of Uttrakhand slammed the reports and said they were fake.

He wrote, "A misleading propaganda, using old pics of forest fires of 2016 & 2019 & that of forest fires in Chilean & Chinese forests, is raging on SM. I req everyone to not believe such motivated campaign. Fire incidents reported until yesterday is way less than PY"

Bollywood actor Esha Gupta confessed that she too fell for those images and apologised in a tweet for the same. She further raised awareness and asked everyone to follow only the Uttrakhand Forest Department page for updates on the natural disaster.

Dear @JitinPrasada Ji, suggest you to not share pictures of Chilean and Chinese forest fires as one from Pauri and Dehradun or Chamoli etc. All the pictures shared by you are fake as either they are not from Uttarakhand or are of 2012, 2016 & 2019. #FakeTweet https://t.co/vaMGpuewh2

— Trivendra Singh Rawat (@tsrawatbjp)

It has come to my notice that the images circulated as “Uttarakhand fire” have been fake. Please only follow - Uttarakhand Forest Department 🙏🏽 (sorry about the same for falling for it myself)

— Esha Gupta (@eshagupta2811)

सोशल मीडिया में दिखाया जा रहा है कि उत्तराखंड के जंगलों में आग बढ़ती जा रही है लेकिन सरकार इस पर ध्यान नहीं दे रही है|@PIBFactCheck : दिखायी जा रही तस्वीरे पुरानी हैं तथा इनमें से कई दूसरे देशों से संबंधित हैं| कृपया ऐसी भ्रामक खबरों से सावधान रहें|@PIBHindi @tsrawatbjp pic.twitter.com/3I4ywVUwJ8

— PIB in Uttarakhand (@PIBDehradun)

This is truly devastating,.. this is why climate change is real.. Uttarakhand has been burning since 5 days, just like we saw the Amazon n Australia.. praying quick steps are taken to control it.. save 🌎 #SaveTheHimalayas

— Esha Gupta (@eshagupta2811)

About Uttrakhand Forest fire

Other than the deadly coronavirus, the state of Uttrakhand is currently facing a lot of problems since the massive forest fire began. For the past four days, Uttarakhand has been burning up as a huge wildfire destroys different regions of the state. Since 2020 began, the state has reportedly already faced around 46 wildfires that have taken a toll on more than 51.34 hectares of forest land. 

Currently, the forest department has given an estimated figure of around ₹ 1.32 lakh worth of the losses due to the wildfires spread throughout various parts of the state. Kumaon region of the state has already witnessed 21 instances of forest fires while the Garhwal region has already seen 16. Two people have already lost their lives to these deadly wildfires, while another person has been reported to be injured. 

Uttarakhand forest fire: Over 50 hectare land gutted in 46 wildfires, wildlife in danger