QUETTA – At least three people were killed and seven others injured as a massive fire continues to rage world’s largest pine nut forest in southwestern Balochistan province of Pakistan for ten days.
The fire has destroyed hundreds of tress located on Koh-e-Sulamain, a mountain range that connects three Pakistani provinces Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, and displaced residents of nearby villages.
The first fire erupted on May 9 in Musakhail district and it continued for over a week, consuming pine-nut trees in a radius of 22 kilometers. A second blaze in the forest occurred on Wednesday night near Saraghalai area of district Sheerani. Three peoples lost their lives while attempting to put out the fire.
An official of Zhob division said that four people are still stranded in the forest as the rescue efforts are underway in the area.
Social media users have asked local and international authorities to take immediate measures to control the fire that has put also the lives of wildlife on risk.
The world's biggest Chilghoza pine forest at Sherani, Balochistan is under massive fire for the last one week. Beside Huge biodiversity loss, Several human casualties are also reported. Federal govt. and intl. community must help on an emergency basis.@MaryamNSharif @CMShehbaz pic.twitter.com/Isji9AYsyv
— Bilal (@Sherani_Bilal07) May 19, 2022
World’s largest forest of pine nuts in #Balochistan is on fire since more than 5 days. Large scale efforts needed to extinguish, authorities need to take immediate action: please spread the word.@sherryrehman @zofeen28 @dawn_com @theLahorewala @rinasaeed @KlasraRauf pic.twitter.com/bb4yUFH2DX
— Mariam S. Khan (@mariam_skhan) May 20, 2022
These are forests are categorized among the largest natural pine forests in the world, located at shirani Balochistan.
Fire has been lit in here. Forests and wildlife here are in extreme danger@WWF @UN#SaveSheraniForestSaveLife pic.twitter.com/iJ0hHHcrIq— Ziauddin Baloch (@mengal_ziauddin) May 19, 2022
The very rare #pine #forest in Sherani district regions is in flames for several days now, when Balochistan govt is busy in changing faces, @sherryrehman do you hear, anyway planned to extinguish the forest fire killing the #ecology wild life and oxygen producing trees? pic.twitter.com/sDUxz0e6Pe
— Malik Achakzai (@MalikAchkJourno) May 19, 2022
