India, Jan. 14 -- A forest fire that broke out near the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district six days ago is confined to the surface, senior forest officials said after an aerial survey on Wednesday, while a top India Meteorological Department (IMD) official has attributed the surge in such incidents to scant winter snowfall and rainfall.

The fire broke out in the forests of Painkhanda under the UNESCO World Heritage site Valley of Flowers range of the Nanda Devi National Park at an altitude of around 11,500 feet on January 9.

"An aerial survey of the fire-affected site was carried out on Wednesday. Prima facie, the fire is not very extensive and serious. It is limited to the surface and hasn't reached the crown... due to...