SWABI: A massive wildfire in the mountainous Kala region here continued to rage for the second day on Monday, reducing into ashes everything that came in its way.

The fire broke out on Sunday morning.

A Rescue 1122 firefighters’ team reached the area after a struggle of four hours, and brought the fire under control, an official claimed. However, he said the fire broke out in the evening once again and engulfed the whole area fuelled by strong winds.

“The raging blaze turned into ashes previous trees in Gila, Kala, Khoro and Dara areas,” rescue officials said. They claimed the fire had now been brought under control.

“The fire inflicted severe damage on the wildlife and forests,” Shahzad Azad, a local mediaperson, said.

Luqman Khan, a rescue official, told Dawn that firefighters made vigorous efforts, even reaching to inaccessible routes, but strong winds fuelled the fire, hampering their efforts to put it out.

Locals regretted that the wildlife and the forest departments’ officials didn’t even visit the spot.

The people demanded action against the officials of the two departments.

POWER BREAKDOWN:

A power breakdown spanning 21 hours caused great inconvenience to consumers in various areas, forcing them to pass sleepless night.

When contacted, a superintendent of Peshawar Electric Supply Company told Dawn on condition of anonymity that transmission lines in different areas were damaged as huge trees fell on the cables, and in some places poles were uprooted during a windstorm, which hit the district on Sunday evening.

Azam Khan, a Pesco lineman, said three poles were uprooted in Shahmansoor area, and they were working to restore the power supply.

The Pesco officials said removing trees and repairing the damaged transmission lines was a cumbersome task, taking considerable amount of time.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2025