J&K forest fire: Army choppers pressed into service, 'Bambi Bucket Operations' launched

After massive forest fires were reported on Monday in Jammu and Kashmir, efforts are still underway to douse the fire and further bring the situation under control. Concerning this, authorities have now called upon Indian Army choppers to carry out the fire extinguishing process across the hills in Udhampur. 

While efforts are already underway to control the fire, the Indian Army has also launched 'Bambi Bucket Operations' to douse the raging flames. 

The fire which broke out on Monday in the Gangara Hills forest of J&K's Udhampur has so far destroyed acres of land and vegetation turning it to ashes. As informed by the officials, the fire took place due to the hot weather. In the video shared by ANI on its Twitter handle, a thick layer of smoke can be seen rising from the fire site while people try to control its spread. Speaking on the same, a district-level Indian Forest Service (IFS) official said, "A team has been deployed in the area for controlling the situation. A meeting has also been held concerning the same. 90% of the fire has been doused. It took place because of the hot weather and people have been made aware of it."

In another fire incident from the valley, a major fire was reported from J&K's Kishtwar on Tuesday which broke out in the Dangdooru area, in the labour quarters of the Pakal Dul project, which is under construction by Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt Limited (CVPPL) and Jammu and Kashmir State Development Corporation.

While no casualties were reported, fire tenders reached the spot on time and took control. 

Forest fire in Uttarakhand

In a similar incident from Uttarakhand, a forest fire was reported in the Dhanoda forest area in Pithoragarh on the same day. As informed by the officials, the fire broke out on Monday night following which a team of forest personnel, tehsildar, revenue sub-inspector, and disaster management reached the site and started making efforts to take out the fire. Later, after two hours, the fire was brought under control.

Speaking on the same, Pithoragarh DM Ashish Kumar Chauhan spoke to ANI and said, "District Forest officials and I had a discussion; our master control room will be started as a disaster management office to counter such frequent instances and to take action."

Image: ANI/Republic