KATHMANDU: Myagdi district in the Gandaki province has faced significant devastation due to forest fires, surpassing damages witnessed in 10 other districts within the province. The Division Forest Office reported that approximately 700 hectares of forest area in the district have been engulfed in flames over the course of 45 days. Forest fires have spread across 111 forests spanning all six local-level governments in Myagdi, resulting in the destruction of 693 hectares of forest land.

Locals residing near the affected forest areas expressed fear and concern over the rapid spread of the forest fires. Tek Bahadur Pun, a resident of Malika rural municipality-6, highlighted the loss of several wild species due to the fires. Chief of the Division Forest Office, Bishnu Adhikari, noted that forest fires are occurring daily in various forests across the district, including Beni municipality, Malika, Mangala, Raghuganga, Dhawalagiri, and Annapurna rural municipalities.

Efforts to control the forest fires are ongoing, with some forests already under control while others continue to emit dense smoke. Adhikari mentioned the distribution of fire extinguishing equipment to locals and security personnel to aid in containment efforts. Additionally, wildlife has been forced to seek refuge in human settlements to escape the fires, leading to conflicts with residents and damage to crops.

In separate incidents, fires originating from dry wheat stalks destroyed a two-story house in Ruruchhetra rural municipality-5, Dhobighat, belonging to Saroj Saru, and a 10-room house in Bhojpur municipality-8, Pokhare, owned by Bharat Karki. The fires resulted in significant property damage, including the destruction of grains, clothing, utensils, and household appliances, with losses estimated at Rs 4.2 million.