A couple were burnt to death on Tuesday night as blazing wildfires engulfed the forests of Hasham Khel Dab mountains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla district in Martung tehsil, according to police.

Pakistan has grappled with an unprecedented surge in forest fires in recent years. Provinces, including KP and Balochistan, have seen huge wildfires in the past three years.

Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Usman Munir, while speaking to Dawn.com, shared that a man and his wife were burned to death while they were trying to protect the firewood kept near their home from the fire.

The SDFO of the forest department in Alpuri, Zahid Hussain told Dawn.com that the victims — identified as Hakim Zada and his wife Hajiroon — set fire to the bushes near their house. The fire then quickly got out of control due to intense and gusty winds, engulfing the forest.

The wildfire has now been extinguished, and the bodies of the victims have been recovered from the site.

According to Deputy Commissioner Shangla Mohammad Fawad, compensation will be given to the next of kin of the deceased.

In 2024, over 50 wildfire incidents were reported in Shangla, while in June 2022, four people were killed by a wildfire in the Chakesar area of the district.