Forest fires erupt in Himachal's Kinnaur district

Several forest fires erupted in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district in recent days, burning trees spread over many hectares. The fire broke out in areas including Suru, Labana-Sadana and Chaura a few days ago, the residents of nearby villages said.

While the blaze in Chaura has been put out, it is still on in Suru and Labana-Sadana areas. Despite numerous forest fire incidents in the state every year, the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department has no government vehicles to control it.

Replying to BJP MLA Jawahar Thakur and Congress MLA Ram Lal Thakur, state Forest Minister Govind Singh Thakur had said in the state assembly in August last year, "No government vehicle is available to control forest fires, tree felling or mining in any of the 198 forest ranges of the state".