Fire engulfs several forest, urban areas in Jammu region

Jammu: Fire engulfed several forest and urban areas in the Jammu region, devastating vast tracts of land, officials on Friday said.
The fire, which spread to Rajouri, Samba, Reasi and Udhampur districts, and urban parts of Jammu city, destroyed large areas of plantation and other forest wealth, they said.In Samba, the fire broke out in Chiladanga, Nund and Purandare areas, where both forest officials and local residents were working tirelessly to extinguish the flames, the officials said.Udhampur has also been severely affected. Efforts to control the blaze are ongoing, they said.
Reasi district is grappling with multiple wildfires, intensifying concerns about forest fires throughout the region, the officials said. The Jammu and Kashmir Disaster Management Authority (JKDMA) has issued an extreme forest fire risk warning for the coming week as temperatures soar and the dry conditions persist. pti