Uttarakhand forest fire: IAF's helicopter participates in fire fighting operation in Tehri Garhwal

TEHRI GARHWAL: Indian Air Force's helicopter on Monday participated in fire fighting operations to douse the fire spread in the Koti colony forest area of Tehri Garhwal district.

The helicopters participated in the operation after the central government provided a helicopter to the Uttarakhand government to extinguish the fires in the forests of the mountainous areas that broke out on Friday.

Amid the operation, water collected from Tehri lake was sprinkled with the help of a 5000-litre capacity bucket.

In the first round of dousing, water was sprinkled in the forest in Adwani.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Sunday had called an emergency meeting over the forest fires in the state.

"We asked the Centre to give us two choppers to control the fire situation. We have been given the same. We are hoping to douse fire using choppers today," Rawat told ANI after the meeting.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured all help to the Uttarakhand government to combat the fire that broke out in the forest area of the state. "To control over the forest fire in Uttarakhand, the Central government has given orders to deploy NDRF teams and provide helicopters to the Uttarakhand government," Shah tweeted in Hindi.

Uttarakhand Minister Harak Singh Rawat informed that the fire broke out at 964 locations in the state.

Meanwhile, the fire that broke out in 62 hectares of forest area, killed four persons and seven animals.

"12,000 guards and fire watchers of state forest dept deployed to douse the fire. Fire destroyed property worth Rs 37 lakhs so far," said the Principal Chief Conservator.