Jammu: Amid Uttarakhand battling with major forest fires for the past couple of weeks, a massive forest fire spread in the Tanda area of Sunderbani near the Jammu-Poonch National Highway in Jammu district. According to the sources, the fire broke out on Wednesday evening, which spread rapidly across a large part of the forest.

The local administration stated that due to the presence of dry leaves and dry woods in the forest area, the fire is further spreading in the forest, causing restlessness in the nearby villages due to the emanating of huge plumes of smoke and heat.

If reports are to be believed, the forest in Sunderbani area of Tanda village has been burning for the last three days, due to which a large part of the forest has been damaged.

The local residents are fearful that the fire, which continues to spread, may reach the nearby inhabited area putting the life and property of the local population at risk.

The fire is believed to have spread due to the ongoing heatwave followed by the dry spell in the region. Further, the risk of spreading of the fire may surge, as the MET department has predicted that temperature in Jammu by this weekend could soar up to 44 degree Celsius, which may cause difficulty in controlling the fire.

The concerned authorities of the Union Territory have been informed and efforts have been initiated to control the fire.