Sundarbans fire under control; probe committee formed

Sundarbans fire under control; probe committee formed

Firefighters brought a devastating fire in the world largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, under full control on Sunday morning, more than 24 hours after it broke out.
The fire caused damages to four acres of the forest, the country first UNESCO World Heritage Site, forest officials said.
A three-member body, headed by Dipen Chandra Das, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) of Chandpai Range in the Sundarbans East Division, was formed and asked to submit a report within seven working days, said Kazi Muhammad Nurul Karim, Divisional Forest Official (DFO) of Sundarbans East Division.
The probe body also includes Bipuleshwar Chandra Das, an officer of Dhansagar Station, and Md Rafiqul Islam, in-charge of Kolomteji Patrol Outpost.
DFO Nurul Karim said forest officials and local villagers worked tirelessly throughout Saturday night to extinguish the fire by using water from the Bhola River to douse the flames, with firefighters joining them on Sunday morning around 8am.