• Source:JND
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Uttarakhand Forest Fire: Forest fires continue to ravage Uttarakhand, reaching alarming levels as flames encroach upon the High Court Colony in Nainital. The situation escalated further with the arrest of three individuals in Rudraprayag, caught red-handed attempting to ignite forest fires. Over the past 24 hours, the state recorded a staggering 31 new incidents of forest fires, devastating approximately 33.34 hectares of precious forest land. In response, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has issued directives for heightened vigilance among officials, emphasising the need for seamless coordination across departments to combat the escalating crisis effectively.

Nainital Forest Fire: Here Are Key Points

- The fire that broke out in the forest near Nainital district headquarters, posing a threat to the residents of High Court Colony located in the Pines area. It has also affected the traffic movement in the area.

- "The fire has engulfed an old and vacant house located near The Pines. It has not caused any damage to High Court Colony but it has reached dangerously close to the buildings. Efforts have been made to control the fire since evening," a resident of the area and assistant registrar of the High Court said, news agency PTI reported.

- To control the blaze, personnel from both the forest department and the army are mobilised, with the possibility of deploying helicopters to extinguish the raging flames looming large.

- There are possibilities of the fire reaching the sensitive areas of the Indian Army located near the Pines, efforts are being made to extinguish the fire as soon as possible.

- Considering the gravity of the situation, the district administration has banned boating in Naini Lake.

ALSO READ: Uttarakhand Forest Fire Continues To Rage, Over 580 Hectares Of Forest Land Destroyed; CM Calls For Action

- 26 forest fire incidents occurred in the state’s Kumaon region in the last 24 hours, while five incidents occurred in the Garhwal region, where 33.34 hectares of forest area were affected, a detailed assessment from the Forest Department on Friday.

- Chandrashekhar Joshi, the Divisional Forest Officer for Nainital, disclosed the deployment of a substantial workforce comprising 40 personnel and two forest rangers to combat the raging flames.

- "We have deployed 40 Manora Range personnel and two forest rangers to extinguish the fire," Joshi said.

- From November 1 last year till now, a total of 575 incidents of forest fire have been reported in the state, affecting 689.89 hectares of forest area and costing the state more than Rs 14 lakh.

- Meanwhile, three men were arrested and sent to jail for allegedly starting forest fires in two different areas of Jakholi and Rudraprayag.