In the East Siang area, a large forest fire has started close to the Sigar military station. As the fire advances to neighboring defense sites, serious worries are raised. Although there are currently no injuries reported by officials, the quickly spreading fire might endanger the area’s vital infrastructure. Personnel from the Indian Army and the district administration were immediately dispatched to contain the fire that started on Saturday in a wooded area next to the military installation.
The difficult terrain and thick foliage have made it difficult for ground personnel to properly control the flames, which has complicated firefighting efforts. The state government asked the Indian Air Force (IAF) for aerial firefighting support in order to improve their response. On Sunday, an IAF helicopter was sent in to conduct aerial operations, fighting the fire using water from the Siang River.
For operational considerations, however, these aircraft firefighting activities were briefly suspended on Sunday night; they are scheduled to resume on Monday morning. To stop the fire from spreading further, local authorities and security officials are still engaged in ground-based firefighting operations.
