April 27, 2024: The forest fire in Uttarakhand's Nainital has now been ablaze for over 36 hours. Reportedly, the fire has now reached the Indian Air Force (IAF) station.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered the state government and forest department to deploy Indian Army for dousing operations. Therefore, the IAF has deployed Mi-17 helicopters to help douse the fires.

The Chief Minister is also scheduled to conduct a meeting in Haldwani to discuss the ongoing forest fire, how to control and to prevent such an incident.

As per sources, the helicopters have been tasked to take water from the Bhimtal Lake to try and control the forest fires.

In the last 24 hours, 31 new incidents of forest fire were reported from various parts of the state, destroying 33.34 hectares of forest land. Authorities have apprehended three individuals in Rudraprayag for suspected arson attempts in the forests.