A destructive forest fire has been blazing through the Narthan forest zone within Panchayat Hartyan (Block Ghordi) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

The fire, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ramnagar Forest Division, was reportedly ignited by a sudden spike in regional temperatures. Strong, sweeping winds have since caused the flames to spread rapidly across the mountainous terrain.

Firefighting Efforts and Local Mobilization

In a determined effort to protect their homes and land, local community members have joined forces with official emergency teams to combat the blaze. However, relentless winds continue to fan the flames, accelerating their spread across challenging forest landscapes and complicating containment operations.

Extent of the Damage

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Ramnagar, Naresh Majotra, reported that the wildfire has severely impacted numerous forest compartments and surrounding villages.

• North Range: Fires are actively tearing through Compartments 11 and 12/N near Serbala village (Chillar Block).
• Barmeen Block: The blaze has spread across Compartments 1, 2, 16, and 18/N, directly impacting Upper Barmeen village, Nallah Ghouran, and Phalai.

“Our emergency crews are on the ground, working around the clock to douse the flames. Multiple sectors within the Ramnagar division have faced severe impacts,” stated DFO Majotra.

Separate Wildfire Contained in Uttarakhand

In a related environmental update from the neighboring hill state, a massive forest fire that broke out late Saturday night near Budogi village forest in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal district has finally been brought under control.

The blaze razed approximately 14 hectares of forest land near the district headquarters before emergency response teams managed to suppress it.

Current Status in Tehri Garhwal

Tehri Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Puneet Tomar, confirmed that the situation has successfully stabilized and the flames have been put out.

“The fire started on Saturday evening. Our response teams reached the remote site very quickly to begin suppression activities. The fire has been systematically extinguished. It moved downward into unpopulated zones, allowing us to contain it rapidly over a span of about an hour and a half. In total, close to 14 hectares of our forest ecosystem were affected,” Tomar explained.