Forest fire in Dzukou Range of Nagaland under control: Officials
(Sourced from PTI)
The forest fire raging in the Dzukou Range in Nagaland has been brought under control with the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters, police, forest department, and local volunteers, the officials said on Saturday. The Dzukou Range, in which the majestic Dzukou Valley, a tourist hot spot in Nagaland is located, had caught fire on Tuesday afternoon.
Johnny Raungmei, the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority said, "IAF choppers were used to douse the fire on Friday. As per the pilots, there are multiple spots where the fire is burning." Rajkumar M, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kohima said, "A stretch of about 5 km fire line has been cut in the priority area...main valley is safe."
On the Nagaland side, the fire is relatively controlled because of the preventive measures taken by the Kohima District Disaster Management Authority along with personnel from forest, police, fire and emergency services, and volunteers from Southern Angami Youth Organisation.
The fire has also spread to the neighboring Senapati district of Manipur. "Based on the requisition by the state government, an IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter equipped with Bambi bucket for firefighting was used in Dzukou valley near Kohima," said Lt. Col. Sumit K Sharma, PRO (Defence) Kohima. The IAF choppers conducted recce on Thursday, said Sharma, adding that the mission would continue even on Saturday.
