A huge blaze has erupted in a forest area of Uttarakhand's Nainital since Friday (April 26), reaching High Court Colony and other regions in the district. The administration has called on the forest department and Indian Army to help douse the wildfire.
Indian Air Force also deployed a helicopter for a dousing operation in Nainital. In a video shared by the news agency ANI, an IAF Mi-17 chopper takes water from Bhimtal Lake.
IAF Deploys Helicopter for Dousing Fire
Wildfires also pose a threat to the residents of High Court Colony, located in the Pines area. It also hampered traffic. It has engulfed an old and vacant house located near The Pines. It has not caused any damage to High Court Colony, but it has reached dangerously close to the buildings.
Wildfire in Nainital
The fire could reach sensitive army locations near the Pines area. Uttarakhand's forest department has said that over 24 hours, 26 forest fires were reported in the state's Kumaon region and five in the Garhwal region. The fire affected 33.34 hectares of forest area.