The fire that broke out in the Sundarbans East Zone under Morelganj upazila on Wednesday have burnt down several acres of the mangrove forest.
Forest guards first spotted the fire near Gulishakhali Camp under Chandpai Range on Wednesday afternoon.
The UNB correspondent visited the affected Paishattishil area of Gulishakhali Camp around 4pm on Thursday and found that the fire was yet to be tamed fully.
Firefighters, forest guards and local people were working together to put out the blaze.
Morelganj upazila fire station officer M Ariful Haque said a 12-member firefighting team has been working under his command to douse the flame.
Claiming that the fire is under control, he said sporadic flames are still generating around the area because the fire is managing to make its way traveling underground.
Firefighters are struggling a lot to control the fire due to the density of the forest in the area, he added.
Divisional forest officer (DF0) of Sundarbans East Zone, M Amir Hossain Chowdhury said they have formed a committee to investigate the fire incident.
The probe committee will ascertain the cause behind the fire, assess the losses caused to the forest and biodiversity, and submit its report within the next three days, he said.
“Nothing definite about the cause of the fire can be said before the report,” Amir Hossain added.
The DFO said a team of 60 forest guards as well as local people were struggling to douse the blaze.
Locals observed that the spot of the incident is not frequented by honey gatherers and that the fire might have been caused by some people with an intention to clear out the jungle for fishing.
In the past, they noted, similar fires broke out that eventually made ways for setting fish catching nets in those areas.
Source: UNB Connect
