Fire in Mt Abu forests, IAF chopper called in

No one was reported injured, as the flames were limited to uninhabited areas, although they were closing in, given the wind speed and direction, a top official said.

A MAJOR forest fire broke out in the hills of Mount Abu, Rajasthan, on Friday morning and continued overnight, prompting the Indian Air Force to deploy a modified MI-17 V5 helicopter. The blaze is expected to be doused on Saturday. No one was reported injured, as the flames were limited to uninhabited areas, although they were closing in, given the wind speed and direction, a top official said.

“We were informed about the forest fire at about 8 am and immediately deployed water tankers and fire ambulances. We then sought the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) help,” Sirohi District Collector Abhimanyu Kumar said.

He said the fire is in the forest areas, and “we haven’t had to evacuate anyone”.

Mount Abu is Rajasthan’s only hill station in Sirohi district adjoining Gujarat.

Defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Ojha said that the South Western Air Command (SWAC) headquarters in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, received a call from the Rajasthan government around 12.30 pm for help in tackling the blaze, which was “fast progressing towards inhabited areas assisted by winds.”

A helicopter from IAF’s Phalodi airbase in Jodhpur reached the site around 2.20 pm and undertook an aerial recce. “Nakki Lake in the middle of Mount Abu town, nestled between the hills, was identified as the most viable source of water,” Ojha said.

Drawing the lake’s water, the helicopter dropped about 20,000 litres on the affected area through seven sorties. The operation was suspended for the night and will resume at dawn on Saturday.

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The operation is likely to be augmented by an additional IAF chopper from Jamnagar Saturday, defence officials said in Gandhinagar. The helicopters will be stationed at Mount Abu helipad for the operation.

“The area of concern has been doused. District officials are still on site and monitoring the situation,” Mount Abu SDM Suresh Kumar Ola said.

The Sirohi Collector said, “Army and CRPF (personnel) are also on guard. Forest Guards are employing traditional means to douse the flames. We have also pressed in municipal tankers.”

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