New Delhi: The Indian Army had to be pressed into service on Saturday as forest fires raged in Uttarakhand.
Kumaon region was the worst hit, with the deadly fires spreading to Nainital.
Smoke billowed through the picturesque hill town as flames approached Nainital’s High Court Colony. The helpless administration was left with no option but to seek help from Army personnel to control the fires.
“The fire has engulfed an old and vacant house located near The Pines. It has not caused any damage to High Court Colony, but is dangerously close to the buildings,” the High Court’s assistant registrar told PTI.
Boating in Nainital Lake, a favourite activity of visitors and locals, has been banned as helicopters are being used to get water from all the lakes in the area.
Watch a video of an Army copter in action at Nainital lake as shared by X user:
Emergency Alert:
Forest fire 🔥
Air force helicopter pressed into serviceUttarakhand engulfed in massive forest fires! Indian Air Force helicopters mobilized for rescue and firefighting operations.
Tourists stranded as Nainital lake closes. pic.twitter.com/96oWCLTiL4
— Atulkrishan (@iAtulKrishan1) April 27, 2024
Another blaze was reported in Lariya Kanta forest area of Nainital district, partially damaging an ITI building.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is holding multiple emergency meetings on the forest fires in Dehradun.
“The forest fires are a challenge for us… This is a big fire. We are working for all essential needs. We have asked for help from the Army… I am going to conduct a meeting in Haldwani today. We have conducted a meeting in Dehradun also regarding this. We will try to control the fire as soon as possible,” said Dhami.
A total of 31 fresh incidents of fire were reported from different parts of the state in last 24 hours, destroying 33.34 hectares of forest land.
Three people were arrested in Rudraprayag for trying to set fire to the forests.
According to official data, the Uttarakhand Forest department has registered 146 cases since the beginning of 2024 for “man-made” fire incidents.
Officials said forest fires have become an annual feature. Because of change in weather conditions resulting in soaring temperatures, Uttarakhand now experiences forest fires from mid-February, when trees shed dry leaves and the soil loses moisture due to a rise in temperature, and this continues till mid-June.
