Wildfire in Kohima dist’s Dzukou valley contained after 3 days

Dimapur: The The wildfire in western Dzukou valley at Khonoma in Kohima district that started on Dec 12 has been contained, even as the presence of smoke in between burnt bushes was reported, an official report said on Monday.However, no active flames were observed.The report said the western Dzukou valley, a popular site for nature lovers and trekkers, has been closed temporarily as a precautionary measure.IAF helicopters were deployed to contain the fire. The helicopters operated with Bambi buckets to suppress and contain the smoke.Kohima DC B Henok Buchem, along with his team, visited the base camp of the team engaged in combating the fire on Monday.During the visit, Khonoma youth representatives, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and other govt agencies briefed the officials on the current situation. The Khonoma youth expressed gratitude for the support and assistance rendered by all stakeholders during the crisis. They said the rescue and response operations by volunteers were possible due to prior training initiatives undertaken by the Angami Youth Organisation and conducted by the SDRF.

A discussion was also held on whether to continue the operation.While the helicopter team from Kharagpur, along with youth volunteers and SDRF personnel, expressed confidence that the fire had been contained, it was decided that a team would trek again to western Dzükou on Tuesday to further assess the situation on the ground.