Producer / Video Editor: Tridip K Mandal
The hills of south Mizoram have been ablaze from 7 am onwards, on Saturday morning, 24 April. The current high winds and dry vegetation has stoked the fire, which has now affected neighbouring districts Lunglei and Lawngtlai.
Hundreds of local volunteers, fire-firefighters, disaster management teams, Assam Rifles and Border Security Force personnel have been working round the clock to contain the fire in the hills, which shares borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh.
The Indian Air Force, as per the Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga’s request, deployed two Mi-17V5 helicopters, equipped with specialised Bambi Buckets to douse the fire, confirmed Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh to IANS.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and took stock of the situation arising due to forest fires in parts of the state. The PM assured all possible support from the Centre. Mizoram CM thanked the Centre for its "prompt assurance and swift action".
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
An official statement, as per the IANS report, said that the fire started in the uninhabited forest areas surrounding Lunglei town on Saturday, and by Sunday, it had spread to over 10 adjoining village council areas.
“Dry vegetation due to drought conditions, coupled with strong winds, has made the mission extremely challenging, and the unfriendly terrain of the area also poses a very serious risk and hindrance for the firefighters,” the statement said.
the fire started in the uninhabited forest areas surrounding Lunglei town on Saturday, and by Sunday, had spread to over 10 adjoining village council areas.
(Photo Courtesy: The Quint)
Lunglei district's Deputy Commissioner Kulothungan confirmed that the fire in localities such as Zotlang, Serkawn, Bungtlang South, Chanmari in Lunglei town destroyed some buildings, but was doused before any major property damage had been stated.
“As the fire had spread close to human settlements, the administration had evacuated residents of the area. No injuries to humans or damage to any property has been reported yet,” quoted The Indian Express.
The Lunglei district fire is the fifth major forest fire since January 2021 in the four northeastern states – Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram.
(With inputs from IANS and The Indian Express)
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