Sundarbans fire fully controlled after 48 hours

The fire near Teisher Chhila-Shaplar Beel area, adjacent to Dhansagar Station in the Sundarbans East Forest Division, has been completely brought under control. According to the Forest Department, the blaze was contained on Tuesday morning (March 25), after nearly 48 hours.

Sources said that firefighters, forest officials, and volunteers have started searching the area to check for any remaining smoke or flames. Additionally, the Forest Department will use drone cameras for a more thorough inspection to ensure there are no lingering fire spots.

If no traces of fire are found, the Forest Department will officially declare the fire extinguished.

Ariful Haque, Senior Station Officer at the Khulna Fire Service and Civil Defense, who was involved in the firefighting efforts in the Sundarbans, told the media that they began spraying water as soon as the tide came in at night. Water spraying continued until 3:30 am, and after careful monitoring, no signs of fire were found in the forest.

Regarding the situation, Bipuleshwar Roy, Station Officer of Dhansagar in the Sundarbans, said, "We worked throughout the night, and the final inspection is now underway. With the high tide, pumps were operated again at around 9 AM. So far, no fire has been detected. We believe the fire has been fully extinguished, but we are continuing our search and will conduct a final inspection using drone cameras."

It is worth mentioning that the fire first broke out on Saturday at Tepa Beel near the Kolmateji Patrol Outpost under the Dhansagar Station of the Sundarbans East Forest Division. The fire was extinguished on Sunday morning, but drone surveillance later detected another fire several kilometers away at Teisher Chhila-Shaplar Beel.

Immediately, forest officials, local volunteers, VTRT, and CPG members rushed to the site and created fire lines to prevent the flames from spreading further.

Additionally, the Fire Service and Forest Department started spraying water from Bhola River, located about 3 kilometers away from the fire source, using pumps from Sunday night. However, due to the low water level and receding tide, they faced difficulties in maintaining a continuous water supply. As a result, firefighting efforts had to continue throughout Sunday night.

On Monday morning, the fire extinguishing operation resumed and continued into the night. Currently, Tuesday, the final inspection is underway to ensure that the fire is completely out.