Forest fire in Nagaland's Dzukou valley increasing its magnitude, spreading to Manipur

Kohima, Jan 05: The forest fire in Nagaland's Dzukou valley is "continuously increasing its magnitude" and spreading towards the hills of neighbouring Manipur, the NDRF said on Tuesday.

The federal contingency force said it has deployed seven teams in the affected areas of Kohima district in Nagaland and Senapati district of Manipur to assist firefighters in extinguishing the forest fire.

The fire broke out in the picturesque Dzukou valley, a popular tourist destination, on December 29. "Originally it was confined to Nagaland state but now it has spread towards the hills of Manipur and is continuously increasing its magnitude," a National Disaster Response Force spokesperson said in a statement issued here.

He added that out of the total seven NDRF teams, three are approaching the affected area from the western side near Essi hills in Kohima district, while the rest are approaching from the eastern side at Mao in Senapati. "NDRF teams are employing all possible techniques to check further spread of fire," the spokesperson said.

He said teams of fire brigade, local police, Nagaland and Manipur state disaster response force teams and some NGOs are also working to check this "fast spreading" fire in the hills. Indian Air Force helicopters are also engaged in the operation, he said.