Shimla in Himachal Pradesh also received some rainfall. The state forest department chief said that all fires there have been doused.
As overnight rains in parts of Uttarakhand doused forest fires on Wednesday, two more persons died in fire-related incidents, taking the number of deaths to six.
Shimla in Himachal Pradesh also received some rainfall. The state forest department chief said that all fires there have been doused.
The rain, expected for the last four days, came as a relief to Uttarakhand, which had been battling forest fires for the last three months. The fires have destroyed tree cover over an area of nearly 3,000 hectares.
Light to moderate rains hit the higher reaches of the mountains in Uttarakhand on Tuesday evening and swept the plains overnight. Munsyari in the hills received 11 mm of rains and Dehradun in the plains recording 7 mm of showers, Press Trust of India reported quoted Met department Director Vikram Singh.
The weather department has said the rain and thundershowers will continue in the state till May 5.
The dry and hot conditions were said to have caused the fires, which fed on the dry, resinous pine trees. The pine cones burnt and burst, spreading the fire further. It also spread along the ground feeding on the dry leaves.
Over nearly a fortnight, men from the Army, the Air Force and the National Disaster Relief Force have been working round the clock to control the fires. While initially 6,000 men were deployed in the firefighting efforts, the number was increased to 11,000 earlier this week. Air Force had deployed three helicopters, which sprinkled water from above in bambi buckets.
Officials said more than 550 incidents of fire have been reported from the state so far. On Monday, the fire had claimed a fourth life - a policeman who had joined the fire-fighting efforts died after a rock fell from him from above.