The fire in the forests of Uttarakhand is continuously expanding. A four-day Red alert has now been issued to this effect. Uttarakhand received 3,000 forest fire alerts in last eight days, which is 10 times the number it recorded last year. This fire affects the other states like Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
With this incident, the Vaishno Devi Yatra stopped for some days. Nearly 3,000 people have been moved to safety near Himkoti Marg in Adhkuwari area. Two MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force and a light utility helicopter were pressed into service to douse the fire. It is being controlled by over 200 ground staff deployed by the CRPF and the Shrine Board. There are no injuries to the pilgrims or any others.
Published On : 24 May 2018