Wildfires in the Chure-Bhawar area have spread into the Parsa National Park (PNP).

The park authority said the forest fires have spread into the southern part of the protected area.

“The forest fires have mostly affected the  Bhawar area in the northern belt of the Chure range. But they are not massive,” said Haribhadra Acharya, chief conservation officer at the PNP.

He said the ongoing wildfires are common during the dry season, from mid-February to mid-June, and they are spreading into the park territory because there has been no rainfall so far.

Wildfires destroy vegetations and affect wildlife nationwide during the dry season. Most of the fires are caused by cigarette butts and match sticks that animal herders throw in the forest area.

According to Acharya, fires spread into the PNP every year from various national forests in the south. He said that reptiles and various small animals are greatly affected while the big animals migrate elsewhere due to the forest fires.

According to the PNP, the park has made fire-line of about 250 km to prevent fires from spreading.