A wildfire that started in Salleri Forest since Tuesday night has put the nearby market area settlements at Dhankuta headquarters at risk.

According to the police, the inferno has been raging at the forest just above the market area since midnight on Tuesday. Saraswati Chowk and Naya Basti area of the market are at risk due to the fire.

A team from the Nepal Police, Nepal Army and Armed Police Force have been working to put out the fire. The team was able to control the fire for some time during the night, but it ignited again.

A fire truck from the fire department of Dhankuta municipality has been mobilised from Wednesday morning to douse the fire.

District Police Chief Superintendent Lakshmi Raj Adhikari said that the presence of pine trees has hampered efforts to bring the fire under control.

Meghraj Rai, Head of Division Forest Office, informed that around one hectare of forest land has been damaged by the fire so far.

Meanwhile, forest officials are cutting the trees which are at risk of fire, according to Gobind Khatri, a technician with the Forest Guard, who was at the scene of the incident.

Vehicular movement along the Dharan-Dhankuta section of the Koshi highway, were halted following the fire.

Police and forest officials are yet to ascertain the cause of the fire.

Forest fires in the Salleri forest during the dry season have been putting the lives of the residents and properties at the Dhankuta market at risk.

Deepak Bhujel, a local, said that the forest office was not interested in cutting the old trees inside the forest.

“Some of the trees are over 140 years old and are at risk of falling due to strong winds,” said Bhujel. “The forest department has not shown any concern in cutting the old trees.”