Fire in PoK forest spreads to Indian side, security forces on alert

A fire that broke out in a forest area in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has spread to the Indian side and security forces are on alert to thwart any infiltration bid under the cover of the blaze, officials said on Saturday.

The fire has spread to the forest area along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, they said. It broke out in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) late Friday night and spread to the Balakote sector in the Mendhar sub-division, the officials said.

They said an alert has been sounded along the LoC in view of the raging fire to ensure there is no attempt of infiltration by terrorists under the cover of the blaze. Army troops guarding the LoC are making efforts to put out the fire, the officials said.