Forest fires, most man-made, ravage Uttarakhand; IAF joins ops

Uttarakhand has recorded at least 202 forest fire incidents since April 21, the second highest number after Odisha, which reported 221 incidents. Seen here is a fire raging in the Rudraprayag district. (PTI)

On Sunday alone, 42 large forest fires were reported from Uttarakhand.
Seen here are flames rising after a fire broke out in Pauri. (PTI)

Fires in the forests of Nainital and Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand were mostly man-made, the state forest department said. (PTI)

The prevailing fire in Nainital district has spread to neighbouring districts, including Almora, Tehri Garhwal, Bageshwar, Champawat and southern Pithoragarh, damaging over 30 acres of forests. (PTI)

Prantiya Rakshak Dal volunteers and homeguard personnel have also been roped in to help in the firefighting operations. (X/@NRDF).

The Indian Air Force deployed a Mi-17 V5 helicopter in Nainital and surrounding areas to douse the flames. It conducted the ‘bambi bucket’ operation – releasing water over a particular area from the top – along the affected regions. (PTI)