Uttarakhand Forest Fires Now On 88th Day; 6,000 People At Work

Raging forest fires, with majority of them in Uttarakhand, entered the 88th day today. The fires in the state have destroyed nearly 3,000 acres of forest cover and killed six people, and have prompted the Centre to send in three companies of the National Disaster Response Force or NDRF to put out the flames and conduct rescue operations.

In all, 135 NDRF personnel have been pushed into service in the hill state, sources said. The Prime Minister's office has sought information on the fires.

 

Dr Tejaswini Patil, a forest department official in Nainital said, "(We) can't go near the forest fire at this stage, it is close to 800-1000 degrees. We know it's the wedding season but we appeal to people, do not burn fire-crackers or casually throw any inflammables in the hills. One spark can cost us a lifetime."

Satellite images by the Indian Space Research Organisation show 53 active forest fires in Uttarakhand. The hill regions of three other states: Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir have been affected as well.