According to Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim, the affected areas include 1.5 acres in Tepar Beel area under the Kolomteji Patrol Outpost of Dhan Sagar Station and 4.05 acres in the Teisher Chila-Shaplar Beel area under the Dhan Sagar Patrol Outpost.
Reports indicate that most of the trees in the Tepar Beel and Teisher Chila-Shaplar Beel areas have dried up, he said, adding that several large Sundari trees in Teisher Chila-Shaplar Beel show visible signs of burning at their bases and it is feared that these trees, weakened by the intense heat, will die soon.
Local sources warned that opportunistic individuals may illegally cut and use these damaged trees as firewood, said DFO Nurul Karim
"There are no active fires at the site now. The fire has been completely extinguished. However, as a precautionary measure, we are continuing to spray water during high tide. Monitoring will also continue today, after which a final decision will be made regarding the fire-out declaration," he said.
"Since fires broke out in two different locations consecutively, we faced significant challenges in our operations. We have been monitoring both areas using drones and GPS. So far, GPS mapping has confirmed that 5.5 acres of forestland have been damaged," the DFO said.
Additionally, two separate investigation committees have been formed to assess the incidents and they are expected to submit their reports within seven working days, which will provide further details on the extent of the damage, the DFO said.
The first fire broke out on Saturday in the Tepar Beel area under the Kolomteji Forest Patrol Outpost of the Sundarbans East Forest Division. After overnight efforts, the forest department and fire service successfully extinguished the blaze by Sunday morning. However, while using drones to check for residual embers, the forest department detected another fire several kilometres away in the Teisher Chila-Shaplar Beel area. This second fire burned for more than 48 hours before the authorities managed to bring it under full control by Tuesday afternoon.
As a precaution, the forest department will continue monitoring the affected area on Wednesday and Thursday, with additional water spraying planned to prevent any potential re-ignition.
