SWAT: Four members of a same family burnt alive in a wildfire broke out on Friday night on a hill in Chakesar area of Shangla District in Swat.
According to Rescue 1122 officials, the fire broke out the remote area of Ali Jaan Kaparai in Chakesar tehsil of Shangla district in Swat region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to Assistant Sub-Inspector Masood Khan, the deceased include three women and a child.
Footage of the blaze went viral on social media, showing volunteers and rescuers trying to prevent spread of the fire.
District disaster management authority spokesperson Inamullah Khan told media that a Rescue 1122 team and revenue department staff have reached the area to douse the fire while more teams are on the way.
“Forest, revenue and rescue staffers are making efforts to extinguish the fire,” he said.
The spokesperson said the fire had erupted in some bushes and engulfed a larger area subsequently.
He added that the bodies of the victims were taken to the basic health unit in Gunangar area of Chakesar.
On the other hand, Shangla Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ziaur Rehman told the media that he had directed relevant staff, including Rescue 1122 and forest department staff, to reach the affected area and begin relief efforts.
The DC said they had been instructed to control the fire as soon as possible.
“The area where the wildfire has erupted is located at a high altitude and is not easily accessible as there is no proper route. People have to walk to reach there and that hinders rescue work and controlling the fire”, he informed.
According rescuers, with an increase in temperature, so far at least four forest fires have broken out in Swat region. However, the state authorities have reportedly failed to adequately respond to the crisis.
Rescuers informed that a fire also broke out on a hill in Barikot located in Swat and the flames engulfed local houses.
