Four Uttarakhand forest employees, who were critically injured in a wildfire fire at Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary Almora on Thursday evening, were flown to Delhi on Friday for their treatment at AIIMS. Four of their colleagues were charred in the inferno that destroyed around 1700 hectares of forest land in Uttarakhand.

The decision to fly all four injured employees to Delhi was taken by the state administration as their condition showed no sign of improvement at Sushila Tiwari Base Hospital Haldwani where the burn victims were undergoing medication since Thursday evening.

Officials confirmed that the severely injured forest employees were flown to Delhi for treatment at the AIIMS and Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit by separate air ambulances following an order by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

It is to be noted here that eight forest employees were trapped in the fire at Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary on Thursday when they had gone to take stock of the situation and douse the inferno.

“Eight employees, including driver had gone in a vehicle to take stock of the raging forest fire in the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary Almora and bring it under control on Thursday. Four of them got down from the vehicle a few kilometers away from Bimsar temple and hoofed forward to look at the raging fire down the hilltop. However, they caught fire as a big wave of flame came suddenly over them. All four were charred to death on the spot and the fast-spreading inferno came over the vehicle carrying four other employees. They immediately rushed out of the vehicle and tried to save themselves but were severely injured. They were taken to Haldwani for medication” recounted Nishant Verma, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and head of forest fire and Disaster Management.

Names of the injured persons included Krishna Kumar 21 years, Kundan Negi 44, Bhagwat Singh Bhog 38 years and 54-year Kailash Bhatt. According to Verma, the injured were shifted to Delhi in four separate air ambulances.

Forest Department data show that nearly 1700 hectares of Himalayan forest areas have been destroyed in the wildfire for the past nearly two and half months. Rise in heat and atmospheric temperature with no rain for the past many days have added to the injury. Six persons have died in the same period.