In a tragic incident in Pandula village of Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand, Anju Devi, a 50-year-old woman, lost her life while attempting to extinguish a forest fire that was threatening her home. The fire, which erupted on Wednesday afternoon, was located approximately 150 meters from her residence. She was severely burned while trying to combat the flames and succumbed to her injuries on the spot. The alarm was raised when she did not return home by late evening.

In a related incident, Rajendra Singh Negi, a 42-year-old fire watcher from Jalgaon village, also died while battling the fire. He fell about 70 meters into a ravine during the firefighting efforts. His body was discovered the following morning after a search operation was initiated when he failed to return.

The District Forest Officer, Sarvesh Dubey, reported that the fire had been largely controlled by the time the fire watchers reached the area. Following these incidents, local residents are advocating for a compensation of ₹50 lakh (approximately $60,000 USD) for the families affected by the fire and a job for one family member.