Nepal battles worst forest fires in years as air quality drops

KATHMANDU - Nepal is battling its worst forest fires in years, officials said on Friday, with smoke wafting across its mountains and souring the air as it settles into the bowl that holds capital city Kathmandu.

Five people have died so far trying to put out the fires that have been raging since January, said Sundar Sharma, a senior official of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. Wild fires were burning in at least 60 places across 22 of Nepal's 77 administrative districts, he said, adding to the growing levels of pollution across the country that lies nestled between India and the Tibet region of China.