People at high risk when they enter forest with twigs to put out fire

Kathmandu, May 7: While going to put out a forest fire in the jungle located in Badikhel, Godawari Municipality-2, Lalitpur, on last Tuesday, two locals Shankar Pahari and Ramesh Pahari lost their lives. According to Inspector Nakul Gautam of the Badikhel Police Sector, the incident occurred at least three kilometres away from the bus park of Badikhel. 

He said, "There was a temple of Tapeshwar Mahadev in the forest, where the fire was beginning. It was a sorrowful incident when they went to the temple side to put out the fire that was expanding near the temple taking twigs and leaves on their hands."

There was also a water drum placed on top of the temple. They were about to go to the drum carrying twigs. "At that time, the wind blowing from another direction caught them," Inspector Gautam said. 

"In a serious condition, they were taken to Kirtipur Hospital in a CRV van (Control Room Vehicle)," he said. 

They died in the hospital shortly after being admitted. A fire had broken out in the jungle of Badikhel from Tuesday morning. 

According to Gautam, because there was no settlement in the area, the police had repeatedly advised against going there. "It is risky to go to the temple amidst the fire," Gautam said.

A week ago, in Tamankhola-2, Silagum of Baglung, 48-year-old Dev Singh Kami also lost his life while trying to douse a fire with the twigs of tree. 

According to Baglung Police Chief, SP Rishiram Kandel, Dev Singh went to put out the fire when it spread to the nearby settlement from the jungle, which was about a kilometre west of his home. " When the wind blew while dousing the fire on the foot trail road, he was struck by the fire," said Kandel.

According to Kandel, there are minimal tools available for fire control in the village. "They did their best to control the fire using whatever means they had, like using leave and bushes, mud, and water," he said. 

Forest fire expert for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) Sundar Sharma said human casualties were occurring due to inadequate preparedness and failure to exercise caution while engaging in fire control without necessary precautions. 

"Going to fight a battle to control fire without being armed and having proper knowledge and equipment is akin to going to war unarmed," Sharma said.

"Imagine for a while what happens when you go on a war front without taking any weapon," Sharma said.

Not only civilians but also units of the Nepali Army responsible for national security lack adequate resources for fire control. In the process of dousing a fire in the community forest of Mastha Bhawani in Dolpa's Thulibheri Municipality-4 on April 8, 2024, three soldiers, including Keshav Bahadur Jarga Magar, 38, of Kavre, Ashish Budha, 23, and Hemanta Rawat, a resident of Jumla, lost their lives. What is even more shocking is that Nepali Army's hospital in any part of the country has no single burn-treatment unit including the Army Hospital, Chhauni. 

The soldiers were airlifted to Kathmandu by the Army for treatment but when their treatment was not possible even in Vayodha Hospital, they were later referred to Burn Hospital, Kirtipur. 

In the case of Thulibheri's fire, the army had made efforts to control the blaze by creating fire lines using bushes, soil, and water but the unfortunate incident did happen, said Brigadier General and Spokesperson for the Nepali Army Gaurav Kumar KC. 

This is not the first time that soldiers have died while attempting fire control. On April 24, 2009, in Ramechhap, 13 soldiers died in an incident, said KC.

Brigadier General KC stated that although some materials for disaster management were available in military units, they were not always sufficient. "Sometimes, even the materials available in the municipalities are used for fire control in coordination with the locals," he said. "The army makes efforts to control such incidents along with the locals."

According to experts, fire control requires different methods compared to other disasters. "For that, adequate preparedness and appropriate tools are necessary," expert Sharma said. "We also see a lack of training; there should be more training for the production of skilled manpower," he said. He further emphasised the need to train manpower down to the ward level for fire control.

According to Sharma, it is essential for those involved in fire control to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as a mandatory measure. "The nature of fires can vary, and during windy conditions, one can encounter flames unexpectedly," Sharma said. "In such situations, adequate preparation with proper PPE is crucial to ensure one's safety during control operations," he said. 

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NDRRMA, Anil Pokhrel, acknowledged that there has been insufficient production of trained manpower and dissemination of awareness to control fires in forest areas. 

According to him, the record of fire outbreaks in 426 locations on Thursday affected 53 districts so far. 

"We have sent equipment such as portable fire pumps to 120 municipalities in 14 districts this year, but that alone went insufficient," said Pokharel. "In the coming years, we see the need to invest in skilled manpower production, pond construction, procurement of PPE, and other materials through the District Forest Consumer Committees," he said. 

In the last one week from April 28 to May 5, three persons were killed and 16 sustained injuries in a total of just 259 household fire incidents. In the incidents, 176 livestock were also killed. Similarly, in the same week, seven died and 20 persons got injured in a total of 478 forest fires. Forest fires claimed four lives and three died in other normal fire incidents in the last one week. Likewise, in the last one month from April 5 to May 5, of 1,597 forest and household fire incidents, 35 persons were killed and 93 persons were injured. Of them, forest fires claimed 13 lives and household fires 22, according to NDRRMA.