Sundarbans fire under control after 48-hr battle

The fire in Teisher Chila-Shaplar Beel area near Dhan Sagar Station, under the Eastern Sundarbans Forest Division, has been brought under control after nearly 48 hours.

By 8:00am, teams of firefighters, forest officials, and volunteers crossed the dry Bhola River to reach the affected area for a final inspection. A thorough ground assessment was conducted to ensure no lingering embers or smoke remained, reports The Daily Star.

The forest department will now deploy drones for an aerial survey before officially declaring the fire extinguished.

SM Ariful Haque, senior station officer of the Khulna Fire Service and Civil Defence, who was involved in overnight operations, said, “As soon as the tide came in, we resumed spraying water and continued until 3:30am.”

“Throughout the night, we monitored the area, and no active fire was detected. Our teams are still inside conducting final checks, alongside the forest department‍‍`s own inspections. If no signs of fire are found, an official declaration will be made,” he added.

Bipuleshwar Roy, station officer of Dhan Sagar Station, said, “We worked tirelessly overnight. This morning, we resumed water pumping with the rising tide, and so far, no fire has been detected. We believe the fire is completely extinguished, but drone surveillance will confirm before a final announcement.”

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim confirmed that all efforts continued overnight.

“At this moment, there are no visible signs of fire or smoke, but we must be absolutely certain before making an official declaration,” he said.

The fire first broke out on Saturday in the Tepar Beel area under the Kalomteji Forest Patrol Outpost of Dhan Sagar Station. It was extinguished by Sunday morning, but drone surveillance later detected another fire several kilometres away in the Teisher Chila-Shaplar Beel area of the Chandpai Range.

Forest officials, local volunteers, the Village Tiger Response Team (VTRT), and the Community Patrol Group (CPG) rushed to contain the new blaze.

Firefighters set up pumps at the Bhola River, three kilometres from the fire‍‍`s origin, but low water levels and dry conditions disrupted continuous firefighting. Officials worked through last night before bringing the situation under control.

The forest department has yet to confirm the extent of the damage, but local residents estimate that nearly 10 acres of forest in the Shaplar Beel and Kalomteji areas have been burned.