Mongla, Mar 24 (V7N)– After a series of fires ignited in the Sundarbans, firefighters have successfully extinguished the blazes, bringing relief to the region and its vulnerable ecosystem.

The latest fire, which broke out in Gulishakhali under the Jiudhara station of the Chandpai range in the Eastern Sundarbans on Sunday morning, was brought under complete control by Monday afternoon.

"The fire in the Sundarbans has been extinguished," a local fire official confirmed. "With the relentless efforts of everyone since Monday morning, the Gulishakhali fire was completely extinguished at around 2:45 pm on Monday."

Firefighters from six units, along with Forest Department personnel and local villagers, worked tirelessly to contain and extinguish the fire, utilizing water pumped from nearby sources.

"Then, 6 units of the Fire Service started working to extinguish the fire with water from Sunday night. The Forest Department and villagers worked," a fire department spokesperson stated.

Despite the fire being extinguished, authorities are maintaining a vigilant watch over the area, spraying water on any remaining smoke to prevent reignition.

"Even then, the area is being monitored. If any smoke is seen anywhere, water is being sprayed there. In this way, the water spraying work continues for a long time," a forest official reported.

This success follows the earlier containment of a fire in the Kalamteji area, which had been burning since Saturday afternoon and was extinguished on Sunday.

"Earlier, a fire that broke out in the Kalamteji area of ​​the forest on Saturday afternoon was extinguished on Sunday. And the fire that broke out on Sunday morning was extinguished on Monday afternoon," a local news source confirmed.

The Kalamteji fire reportedly burned approximately three to four acres of forest. However, the extent of damage caused by the Gulishakhali fire is still under investigation.

"The first fire has burnt 3/4 acres of forest in the Kalamteji area. The forest department could not specify on Monday how much forest area has been burnt in the second fire in Gulishakhali. The forest department said it will inform about the extent of the damage after investigating," a forest department representative stated.

Divisional Forest Officer of the Sundarbans East Forest Division, Kazi Nurul Karim, confirmed the complete extinguishing of the Gulishakhali fire and reiterated the ongoing monitoring efforts.

"Kazi Nurul Karim, Divisional Forest Officer of the Sundarbans East Forest Division, said that the fire in Gulishakhali was completely extinguished on Monday afternoon. Even then, the matter is being monitored. Water is being sprayed over time so that a new fire does not start. He also said that there is no more fire in Kalamteji," a forest official stated.

The successful extinguishing of these fires marks a significant achievement in protecting the Sundarbans, a vital ecosystem and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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