DEHRADUN: Three of the five people seriously injured in a fire in Syunrakot Van Panchayat area of Almora in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon region have succumbed to burn injuries, even as the state grapples with wildfires.
Two people lost their lives in a forest fire on Thursday, and a woman who suffered burn injuries succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment at Sushila Tiwari Forest Hospital in Haldwani on Friday.
It is worth mentioning that a group of Nepali labourers were involved in extracting resin from the forest in the Syunrakot forest area. Their wives were also assisting them in this endeavour. Late on Thursday evening, the Forest Department received reports that two Nepali labourers and their wives had been unexpectedly caught in a blaze in the forest. Tragically, two of the labourers lost their lives while bravely fighting the fierce fire, which had taken a devastating turn, and their wives sustained serious burns in the process.
All the burnt workers were admitted for treatment at the base campus of Almora Medical College, where a labourer who was badly burnt was declared dead by the doctors. At the same time, the other was referred to Sushila Tiwari hospital in Haldwani, where he succumbed to his burns later.
The Chief Medical Superintendent of the Base Hospital, Dr. Ashok Kumar, told, “Four individuals were admitted with severe burns resulting from the fire incident. Deepak Bahadur had already passed away upon arrival. The remaining victims had sustained over 90 per cent burns and were provided with initial medical assistance before being transferred to Haldwani for further treatment”.
“Another resin oil extracting worker named Gyanesh also succumbed to his injuries during the course of treatment”, Dr. Kumar said, adding, “Tara and Pooja were transferred to the Sushila Tiwari hospital in Haldwani following initial medical intervention”. Recent updates from hospital sources confirmed that Tara has also succumbed to her injuries.
Divisional Forest Officer Deepak Kumar said, “Conversations have taken place with the District Magistrate concerning this issue.”