Nainital forest fire: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami says army called to extinguish fire

Representation image (Pic: File Pic)

Following the Nainital forest fire which burnt several hectares of green cover, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the Indian Army and Air Force helicopters have extended their support in controlling the forest fires.

Dhami said today that the fire poses a substantial challenge and that all necessary resources are being mobilized to address the situation.

On Friday, a massive fire broke out in the Ladiyakata area of the Nainital Air Force Centre. The fire has been burning for over 36 hours and has moved through the dense forest.

The district administration has also deployed helicopters in the fire-fighting operations.

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"The forest fires are a challenge for us. This is a big fire. We are working for all the essential needs. We have asked for help from the Army. Army helicopters are also spraying water in the affected area," Dhami told ANI.

"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," he added.

The Indian Air Force has provided M-17 helicopters in an attempt to stop the fire. These helicopters are pulling the water from the lake to saturate the flames in the Nainital forest fire. The boating activities in the lake have been halted for a specific period.

The Executive Officer of the Nainital Municipal Corporation, Rahul Anand has explained that safety precautions were taken to collect the water from the lake.

"We received information of IAF helicopters seeking permission to take water from Nainital to douse the fire. To make arrangements, we closed boating in the lake for the day. Fire is reported in Nainital in many places, including very close to the Air Force Station in the district," Anand said.

"The main purpose of bringing in helicopters to douse the fire was to keep the Air Force Station safe. The situation is under control now. Efforts are continuing," he said.

According to the officials, the IAF choppers are collecting the water from Bhimtal Lake and are spraying it in the area in order to stop the furious Nainital forest fire.

Earlier, Rahul Anand said that after an aerial inspection, MI-17 choppers are jet-spraying the affected areas amid the raging forest fire.

"I carried out an aerial inspection and can confirm IAF choppers have been involved in firefighting operations in the affected forests since this morning," Anand said.

The blaze has already consumed several hectares of the forested terrain, with the leaping flames yet to be brought under complete control.

According to the official, the IAF choppers conducted aerial surveys over the Nainital, Bhimtal, and Sattal lakes, identifying suitable locations from where it could lift water for the dousing operation. The choppers, with sacks and buckets hanging by a rope from them, were spraying water over the affected forests surrounding Nainital, till last reports.

(With ANI Inputs)