In Bangladesh's Amrbunia section in the Chandpai range of the East Sundarbans, work has begun to put out the fire. Beginning at 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 5, a helicopter from the Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force joined the Forest Guard-Fire Service in their mission.
To put out the fire, a ten-person firefighting squad led by Lieutenant Commander Arfatul Arefin of the naval force's Mongla base initially went into action. After that, the firefighters connected the pipe to raise the water level in the neighbouring Bhola River. Nevertheless, the absence of tide in the river causes a delay in the delivery of water.
Mamun Ahmed, Deputy Director of Fire Service and Civil Defense Bagerhat, said that their five units arrived at the scene to put out the Sundarban fire on Sunday (May 5) morning. Among them, three units of Mongla, Morelganj and Sharankhola have started working. The remaining two units are kept on standby.
However, due to the low tide in the Bhola river next to the forest, pipes and other equipment cannot be used to extinguish the fire. These will be crossed when the tide is high. But the fire is burning slowly. He also said that there is no possibility of the fire taking a dangerous shape even if the dry leaves are scattered.
The Divisional Forest Officer of East Sundarban Kazi Nurul Karim said that the work of extinguishing the fire could not be started yesterday due to various difficulties. However, this work has been started since Sunday (May 5) morning. In addition to the fire service, the navy, coast guard and an air force helicopter have joined it. Local residents are also providing all kinds of support.
The forest department official also said that the fire will be fully controlled before it spreads to a large area.
To a question, DFO Kazi Nurul Karim said that the cause, how and the exact cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained. But locals are giving different information. Taking all the information into account, a three-member investigation committee headed by Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Rana Dev of East Sundarbans Chandpai range has been constituted.
The other two members of the committee are - Chandpai Range Jeudhar Station Officer Md Obaidur Rahman and Dhansagar Station Officer Md Rabiul Islam. The committee will submit a report on the exact cause of the fire within the next seven working days.
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