DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand continued grappling with a severe forest fire crisis, with Forest Survey of India issuing a maximum – 125 – of the 157 fire alerts issued nationwide for the Himalayan state on Monday. Additional alerts were issued for Madhya Pradesh (eight), Uttar Pradesh (six), Himachal Pradesh and Odisha (four each).
Monday witnessed 20 fresh fire incidents in Uttarakhand, ravaging some 52 hectares of forest land, with Garhwal, particularly Pauri district, bearing the brunt.
In Pauri, the fire reached sports department’s Indoor Stadium, damaging a building and documents. Students and staff were safe.
IAF dispatched one of its MI-17 V5 choppers to aid efforts in Pauri Garhwal’s Dob village. An IAF officer said the chopper conducted three sorties, dropping 14,600 litres of water.