Fire caused by negligent trekkers razes Mount Saramati’s top surface to ashes

January 28, 2024 21 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 28

A video clip has emerged on social media depicting the charred landscape on top of Mount Saramati in Kiphire district which apparently was caused by a fire.

The short video clip recorded by Thanamir Village Council on January 26 show the aftermath of the incident with the footage revealing the extensive vegetation burned to ashes atop the highest peak in Nagaland. With a height of 3,826 meters, Mount Saramati is located near Thanamir village.

A member of the Thanamir Village Council explains in the video clip that trekkers who ventured into the mountains may have triggered the fire due to negligence, possibly forgetting to douse the camp fire.

The team of Thanamir Village Council, GBs and the Village Guards has scaled the mountain for spot verification upon hearing reports of the fire.

The video then pans around the surrounding on both sides of the Indo-Myanmar border with the Border Pillar in the middle to show how the carpet like lush vegetation has all been razed to ashes by the fire.

“We are very unhappy with this. We should all keep in mind that Mount Saramati is the property of all Nagas. We urge trekkers and visitors to be very cautious with fire when they visit the mountain,” the Thanamir Village Council member stated while emphasizing on the need for responsible trekking practices.

The Morung Express contacted Thanamir Village Council chairman, Tsechimong for more details into the incident. He informed that investigation is underway to identify the culprit(s) that caused the fire.

According to the chairman, the fire incident reportedly occurred after a ten-member team from Dimapur, Kohima and Pungro scaled the mountain from the base camp on January 23 early morning to watch the sunrise.

The chairman said the villagers, unaware of what had transpired since the mountain top cannot be seen from Thanamir, were alerted of the fire from Pungro town from where Mount Saramati can be seen clearly.

On receiving the report, a team of Village Guards, Thanamir Village Council members and GBs scaled the mountain and managed to douse the fire which was still burning, the chairman informed.

According to images shared by the chairman, it can be seen that the whole swathe on top of Mount Saramati have been burnt to ashes, raising concern on the extent of impact caused by the fire on the flora and fauna.

The chairman, meanwhile, disclosed that the trekkers, who are suspected to have caused the fire, have been detained in Pungro and the district administration urged to investigate and identify the culprit(s).