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- Two years ago, a significant fire broke out in the same mountain range in Balochistan that lasted for two weeks
- The fire that burnt over 100,000 pine nut trees damaged people’s livelihood and was extinguished with Iranian help
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistan dispatched a 16-member team of firefighters to respond to a blaze in the pine nut forests of the Koh-e-Sulaiman range in the Darazinda subdivision on Wednesday, according to a statement circulated by Rescue 1122, the country’s premier emergency response service.
This is not the first such incident in the region’s pine nut forests. A significant fire broke out in the Sherani district, part of the same range that straddles Pakistan’s western provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in May 2022.
The blaze lasted over two weeks, destroying a large portion of the ancient pine nut trees, with reports suggesting over 100,000 trees were burned, causing significant damage to the local ecosystem.
Rescue 1122 said in a statement it constituted the firefighting team and immediately dispatched it to the area upon receiving information about the latest fire.
“The rescue team has been equipped with all necessary firefighting gear, including fire extinguishers, personal protective equipment and other essential items required for working in mountainous areas,” the statement said.
“In such emergencies, methods like smoldering and starvation are employed to extinguish the fire, which involves cutting off the fire’s access to oxygen and fuel,” it added.
Firefighters try to extinguish a fire that erupted in the pine nut forests of the Koh-e-Sulaiman range in the Darazinda subdivision, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 30, 2024. (Photo courtesy: Rescue 1122)
The rescue service explained such firefighting approach is used in areas where it is impossible to reach with fire trucks or tenders due to the high mountains, requiring firefighters to travel long distances on foot to implement the strategy based on the site’s conditions.
The 2022 fire in the Sherani district in Balochistan prompted Pakistan to seek assistance from Iran, which sent an air tanker to help extinguish the flames.
Firefighters try to extinguish a fire that erupted in the pine nut forests of the Koh-e-Sulaiman range in the Darazinda subdivision, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 30, 2024. (Photo courtesy: Rescue 1122)
Such recurrent fires highlight the vulnerability of the region, where pine nut forests are not only ecologically valuable but also provide a livelihood for many locals.
Rescue 1122 noted that its Dera Ismail Khan team previously helped extinguish the fire in the Koh-e-Sulaiman mountain range within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region before assisting in firefighting efforts in Balochistan.
The team participated in the operation for several days alongside Rescue 1122 emergency response groups from Tank, Lakki Marwat and Bannu the statement added.