A fire that broke out in Timang forest of Manang district on Friday evening remains unextinguished as of Monday. The District Administration Office, Manang stated that efforts to control the fire in Chame Rural Municipality-1 have been unsuccessful despite the mobilization of security forces.

Chief District Officer Matrika Acharya said that all three security agencies in the district, along with local residents, have been deployed to contain the blaze. “The fire has spread across difficult terrain, far from settlements, making it challenging to control,” Acharya said. “Security personnel and locals are working in the affected area, but the fire’s location on a hillside is making the task difficult.” However, Acharya assured that measures have been taken to prevent the fire from spreading further and that there is no immediate threat to nearby settlements.

Dhak Bahadur Bhujel, chief of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project in Manang, noted that the fire continues to burn due to the dry season, which typically makes fire suppression difficult. “Fires occur every year in the conservation area, and the presence of dry vegetation fuels them,” he explained.

Bhujel expressed concern that the fire could intensify due to the presence of pine trees and dry leaves. “The combination of dry conditions and strong winds could cause the fire to spread further,” he said. As of Monday, approximately 1.5 hectares of forest have been affected, endangering various plant species, including wild potatoes, laud salla (Himalayan marsh orchid), jatamasi (musk root), panchaule (dactylorhiza hatagirea), and mushrooms.

“The fire is also threatening the habitats of birds and wildlife, along with grazing areas for yaks,” Bhujel added. He noted that several wildfires have broken out in the region since mid-November.

A similar fire in the area on November 17, 2020, took two months to be fully extinguished, and destroyed1,200 hectares of forest in Manang. -- RSS