“Firefighters are busy putting out the fire on an emergency basis,” Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon said on Wednesday.

He said that the roads leading to Daman-e-Koh and Monal were being closed as the fire also erupted near Monal. Roads have been closed due to public safety, he said.

The DC also warned the public travelling to Peer Sohawa not to use the road due to the fire.

It wasn’t immediately clear what started the fire, with one official saying that there was foul play involved. The situation has been exacerbated due to extremely hot and dry weather, they said.

Thick plumes of smoke were visible over large swathes of the Margalla Hills.

The Capital Development Authority claimed that as soon as the fire was reported the relevant department sprung into action to put out the fire.

A large number of forest fires have erupted in Pakistan this year that experts believe is a result of dry and hot weather triggered by climate change.

Last month, the fire that erupted in Balochistan’s Chilgoza forest destroyed over 10,000 acres of the forest.