Kohima, Jan 28 (PTI) A wildfire broke out in the southern part of Dzukou Valley in Nagaland’s Kohima district, leading to the evacuation of over 30 trekkers who were stranded due to the blaze, officials said on Wednesday.
The trekkers have been safely evacuated from the high-altitude valley, and containment operations were launched by the district administration and the Southern Angami Youth Organisation (SAYO) to prevent the fire from spreading further, they said.
Officials of the Kohima District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said the fire was believed to have erupted on Monday, though authorities were informed about it on Tuesday. The cause and exact point of origin of the blaze were not immediately known.
Deputy Commissioner B Henok Buchem has constituted a team to conduct reconnaissance and rescue operations.
“All available resources shall be mobilised to contain the further spread of the fire,” Buchem said, adding that additional personnel would be deployed as required.
A DDMA official said that an emergency meeting would be held on Wednesday afternoon to decide upon further measures.
SAYO said it was alerted about the wildfire on Monday afternoon, after volunteers shared videos and photographs from the site.
The organisation was prioritising the evacuation of trekkers and the implementation of precautionary measures, its president Zasitsolie Beio said.
All trekking activities in the Dzukou Valley, from both the Jakhama and Viswema entry points, have been temporarily suspended, the officials said.
The wildfire incident comes less than a month after a major blaze in the Khonoma Dzukou Valley in December, which had prompted a multi-agency firefighting response.