Published 14:24 IST, January 10th 2021
Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force bring Dzukou Valley blaze under control
The massive wildfire which broke in Dzukou valley on Dec 29 has been finally controlled by the India Air Force and National Disaster Response Force teams
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The devastating wildfire that engulfed the Dzukou Valley along the Nagaland-Manipur border has been brought under control, Deputy Commissioner of Senapati district in Manipur has informed. The picturesque Dzukou Valley in Nagaland was engulfed by a massive wildfire on December 29. Later the fire spread further towards the South i.e. Manipur.
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Dzukou valley blaze under control
The fire went out of control even after massive efforts put in by the state fire departments of both Nagaland and Manipur as the heavy winds made it impossible for the SDRF personnel to tame the fire. 2 days later, on December 31, the Indian Air Force, upon request of the Nagaland government pressed into action one Mi17V5 chopper equipped with Bambi bucket to douse the fire. However, despite all efforts, the fire remained beyond control. After the assessment, three more choppers with Bambi buckets were deployed.
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On January 1, a C-130J Hercules aircraft of the IAF airlifted 9 Ton load for fire fighting including 48 NDRF personnel from Guwahati to Dimapur. The IAF and NDRF team was later joined by the Indian Army and the Assam Rifles in its operation to douse the fire.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah also called up Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh as well as Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and assured all help from the Center. It may be mentioned that in Nagaland alone, over 10 square kilometres the main Dzukou Valley was completely devastated by the wildfire. Assessment of the overall damage is still on and can be ascertained only after the entire operation is called off.
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14:24 IST, January 10th 2021