A massive wildfire that spread rapidly on March 17 continues to burn and has spread to various locations, although the fire in helipad area Vankhosung has been doused.
Speaking to the media about the incident, Wokha District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) chairman and deputy commissioner (DC) Vineet Kumar said high wind speed had made it difficult to contain the blaze that had now spread in all directions.
Despite deploying personnel from the Home Guards & Civil Defence, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Fire & Emergency Services, police, Forest and other line departments, and volunteers from local villages, he acknowledged that the dry season posed additional challenges in extinguishing the blaze.
To manage the situation effectively, he mentioned that a sub-divisional officer (civil) was designated as the incident commander, overseeing the coordination between different departments.
He explained that the primary focus was on creating firebreaks to prevent the flames from spreading further and also from reaching residential areas. The DC said nearby villages had been alerted in case the fire spreads to residential areas, adding that there were collaborative efforts and all resources were being used to douse the fire. He expressed the hope that the fire would not reach human habitations.
Providing an update, second in-charge of Fire and Emergency Services Thenuosielie said while the fire near Vankhosung helipad had been brought under control, it had now spread towards the cliff between Humtso and Yikhum villages. He confirmed that the fire remained active along the Humtso-Wokha Road and near the PMGSY rest camp above the road.
He mentioned that the team had been working tirelessly, frequently refilling supplies and rotating personnel due to exhaustion. However, the cliff area remained inaccessible for human intervention, and the team was relying on natural barriers to help contain the fire.
He mentioned that the full extent of the damage was yet to be determined, though significant portion of the jungle had been ravaged by the flames. While it is evident that farms and plantations have been destroyed, the exact scale of devastation remains unclear
Thenuosielie confirmed that there had been no casualties as of now.
He mentioned that personnel were on the ground since 10 am on March 17, continuing their efforts to combat the wildfire with team rotations in place to maintain efficiency despite prolonged working hours.