COIMBATORE: With massive fire raging through the forests of the Nilgiris, the firefighting operations were hampered by strong winds on Sunday.
The fire that broke out on April 15 in the Wenlock Down forest area under the Parsons Valley Range of the Nilgiri Forest Division has intensified, prompting a large-scale firefighting operation involving over 400 forest personnel. In addition, seven forest fire response vehicles have been stationed at strategic locations to assist in firefighting operations, said a statement.
Two teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and five teams from Fire and Rescue Services, over 100 members of Eco Development Committees have joined the ground operations, assisting forest officials in containment efforts.
Despite sustained efforts, the situation worsened over the last two days due to soaring temperatures and strong winds, causing fire to spread rapidly across new areas of the reserve.
Following a request by the district administration, the Sulur Air Force Station deployed two IAF MI -17 V5 helicopters with a Bambi bucket to douse the fire aerially. The helicopters gathered water from the Emerald dam, Moyar dam and Parsons Valley and poured it on the raging fire on Saturday.
However, the use of helicopters was disrupted on Sunday due to heavy winds. Officials said firefighting teams continue to battle the blaze on the ground, but challenging terrain, dry conditions and shifting wind patterns have made containment efforts extremely difficult.