The recent forest fires in Islamabad’s Margalla Hills were caused by “negligence and mischief,” a government official said on Monday, days after authorities spent hours dousing flames that erupted in different locations of the picturesque mountains in the city’s capital.
The Margalla range, part of the Himalayan foothills, has often experienced bushfires in the summer months. The mountain range has caught fire different times this month as various parts of the country remain in the grip of a severe heat wave.
“There are no species in Islamabad’s forests that can catch fire by themselves,” Irfan Niazi, the director-general of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) told a private television channel.
“This is either the result of someone’s negligence or mischief which is done deliberately and then it spreads.”
The official explained that high temperature, high-speed winds, and “fuel” were the main ingredients of a forest fire.
He added that fuel was already present at Margalla Hills in the form of dry leaves andfallen tree trunks.
“As soon as the temperature rises, the wind turns warm and rises upwards,” he said.
“However, the cold wind that comes along to take its place results in high-speed winds. Now all these things are conducive for a forest fire.
Then when anyone engages in mischief, it causes the fire to rise and spread.”
