Fire erupts in Islamabad's Margalla Hills, hiking trails temporarily closed: district admin

ISLAMABAD: A fire broke out on Monday in the capital’s Margalla Hills near the F-5 sector, the district administration said.

A contingent of firefighters reached the site to extinguish the blaze, alongside local residents, the district administration said in a statement, adding that the blaze would “soon be brought under control”.

“As a result of the fire, all hiking trails in the Margalla Hills were temporarily closed,” the statement added.

Spread over 12,605 hectares, the Margalla Hills National Park witnesses many fire incidents during the summer season, which, in recent years, have become a matter of concern for the government and the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

In March, ahead of the fire season, the city managers held a meeting to devise a strategy to handle the issue.

It was decided that the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), the CDA and the district administration would work as one unit to prevent fire incidents in the Margalla Hills.

It was also decided that the number of pickets in the hills would be increased to improve monitoring.