Mizoram Forest Fire Raging for Over 3 Days, 6 Districts Engulfed

The wildfire in the North East Indian state of Mizoram, which began on the morning of Saturday, April 24, has engulfed six out of the total 11 districts in the state by Monday evening, as per reports. As such, two Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force, equipped with Bambi bucket, were pressed into service on Monday morning to douse the fire that reportedly began in the outskirts of Lunglei, the second largest town in Mizoram.

Lunglei is around five hours’ drive from the capital Aizawl.

Meanwhile, community volunteers and security personnel have been fighting against the fire since Saturday afternoon. The fire is reportedly one of the worst such incidents in the state, which also forced Chief Minister Zoramthanga to request help from central forces to douse the fire.

According to the under-secretary in the disaster management and rehabilitation department, Malsawmtluanga Fanchun, about 5,789.5 acres of forest area has been destroyed in the forest fire, The Telegraph reported. While no casualties have been reported so far, 11 firefighters have been injured, the report added.

The prolonged dry season has added to the forest fire spreading faster, devouring vast areas in the six districts including Champhai, Hnahthial, Lunglei, Lawngtlai, Khawzawl and Serchhip in the state, where 85% of the total area is covered by forests.

As per reports, so far 53 villages have been affected in the fire, and 14 houses have been destroyed. Loss of domestic animals have also been reported, according to The Telegraph, which added that 60 people have been shifted to relief camps.

While the IAF choppers were successful in bringing the situation under control by spraying water, the fire could erupt again owing to the dry and windy conditions, according to forest officials.

M Misael, chief executive officer, Lunglei Disaster Management Authority, was quoted as saying, “There are still reports of small fires in some non-settlement areas of some villages. The situation is unpredictable, and the flames could flare up again due to winds and dry weather.” He also added that apart from the loss of some standing crops, there has not been any major damage to human settlements.

Further, the Assam Rifles and Border Security personnel have also jumped into action to bring the situation under control.

On Sunday, the state government released a statement saying that the fire has been raging non-stop for the past 32 hours near Lunglei town.

“In some localities such as Zotlang, Serkawn, Chanmari, the fire reached some buildings, but could be contained and doused before it caused any major loss to property. No loss of human life has yet been reported due to the wildfire,” the statement said.

Even though dry weather has been attributed as the reason behind the fire, the government has said that they will probe the incident to find the exact cause. Lunglei deputy commissioner and District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) chairman Kulothungan A had convened an emergency meeting with key stakeholders in his office on Sunday. A probe is also on to find out what or who caused the fire, The Telegraph reported.

It added that the officials believe that the cause of the fire may be manmade and therefore, a meeting will be convened with village councils and Young Mizo Association (YMA) leaders of the affected areas.