Uttarakhand: 5 dead in wildfires, over 1000 hectares of forest destroyed

As many as five people lost their lives in the raging fire in Uttarakhand. 

Among the five victims, a 65-year-old woman also lost her life on May 5, at AIIMS Rishikesh, where she was admitted after sustaining burn injuries.

She sustained the injuries during an attempt to douse a forest fire that reached her farm in a village. 

The woman, named Savitri Devi, noticed a forest fire reaching her farm in Thalpi village on Saturday (May 4).

She had gone to the place to collect grass bundles but instead got caught in the blaze. 

She was referred to AIIMS Rishikesh, where she succumbed to her injuries.

The Director of the Meteorological Center in Dehradun, Bikram Singh, meanwhile, said there is a possibility of rain in Uttarakhand from May 7 to May 8, which will intensify from May 11 onwards. This may aid in extinguishing the forest fires, he added.

The downpour is forecast to start in the Kumaon region from May 7 and in the Garhwal region from May 8, Singh said.

The fires have also caused a massive revenue loss worth more than Rs 25 lakh to the Uttarakhand Forest Department.

It has even become a threat to the residential area as well.