A forest that fire broke out on Wednesday in the Chaura area of Kinnaur district in India's Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh has been doused by the fire department.
"The forest fire took place in Chaura district was immediately brought under control by the fire department and has been completely doused", Chaman Lal, Divisional Forest Officer, Kinnaur told Sputnik.
Himachal Pradesh: Forest fire breaks out in Chaura area of Kinnaur district. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/yogM4aEmCq
— ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2020
Nearly 500 cases of forest fires occurred in Himachal Pradesh in 2019, affecting 2,600 hectare of forests in the state.
According to a recent study by the Forest Survey of India, nearly 36 percent of the country’s forests are prone to fires and of this, over 10 percent are highly prone. Nearly 95 percent of these fires are triggered by human activity such as a naked flame and cigarettes and therefore can be prevented, it stated.
