Fire at Lal Suhanra National Park brought under control

BAHAWALPUR, Jun 13 (APP): A fire broke out at multiple locations across approximately 30 to 35 acres of forest land in Lal Suhanra National Park has been brought under control by the Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue-1122); however, smoke is still visible over certain parts of the forest.

According to Rescue-1122, the fire affected shrubs and trees. “Due to the difficult terrain, access for vehicles to the affected areas was challenging,” said Baqir Hussain, District Emergency Officer, adding that fire vehicles were deployed to the site and are actively engaged in firefighting operations. Despite the rugged and hard-to-reach landscape, rescue teams continued their efforts to contain the blaze and prevent its spread over the vast affected area, he added.

He further said that firefighters had utilized ponds, water reservoirs, and water bowsers to extinguish the fire, while Rescue 1122 teams remain fully engaged in the ongoing operation. “Rescue 1122 has successfully established an Incident Command Post (ICP) and divided the affected area into three operational sectors,” he said, adding that to ensure rapid response and effective monitoring, fire vehicles were assigned to each sector. In addition, an ambulance and a disaster response vehicle have been stationed at the location.

He concluded that the intensity of the fire has now significantly decreased and is currently limited to smoldering embers in scattered shrubs. The main fire has been brought completely under control.

According to Riaz Ajmal, Emergency Officer, smoke is still visible from certain parts of the forest. Rescue teams and fire vehicles remain on-site and are continuously monitoring the situation to ensure an immediate response in case the fire reignites or intensifies.

Authorities have confirmed that firefighting and monitoring operations will continue until all potential fire hazards have been fully eliminated.