Following collaborative efforts of the district administration, Fire and Emergency Services, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Home Guards & Civil Defence, District Executive Force (DEF) Forest and other departments, and volunteers, the massive wildfire in Wokha was successfully contained on Wednesday.
However, the authorities continued to remain vigilant, monitoring the situation to prevent reignition of the fire. Wokha deputy commissioner (DC) Vineet Kumar expressed his sincere appreciation and gratitude to all officers and frontline workers for their efforts in handling the disaster.
He acknowledged that through the coordinated efforts, a larger catastrophe could be prevented. He said the situation ended well with the successful rescue of a missing fire responder, thanking everyone for their tireless dedication. He said a review of the situation would be done and effective measures considered for adoption at a later date to prevent recurrence of such wildfires.
Sharing details of the response efforts, Wokha District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) assistant manager (relief, recovery and mitigation) and nodal officer L Jonjibemo Odyuo said the DDMA first received reports of the fire at 1 pm on March 17, and response teams were deployed by 1:27 pm, which included personnel from the Fire & Emergency Services, SDRF, Home Guards & Civil Defence, DEF, Forest, and Urban Development departments, besides volunteers from Wokha village and Witter Theological College.
On the first day, he mentioned that the responders successfully redirected the fire away from Humtsoe and Elumyo villages. However, strong winds caused it to spread towards Vankhosung, posing a significant threat.
Fire lines were created along roads, and volunteers were stationed to monitor the situation. Despite these efforts, the fire crossed a portion of the road, requiring additional containment measures to prevent it from reaching Vankhosung.
By midnight, volunteers worked tirelessly to create a fire line near vulnerable areas. The situation remained critical until a shift in the wind redirected the fire, reducing the immediate threat. By 1:30 am, he said the teams demobilised, resuming operations early the next morning.
On March 18, Odyuo mentioned that containment efforts continued, with residents of Wokha, Yikhum and Humtsoe villages joining the mission. The fire was redirected toward an inaccessible area where human intervention was limited. Officials identified an agricultural road as a fire break and instructed villagers to clear dry vegetation to prevent further spread.
During the firefighting operations, sub-inspector Bentick Konyak went missing on March 18. After an extensive search and rescue mission, he was found between 9:30 and 10 am on Wednesday at Tsenchio’s farm, approximately 8 km from Yikhum village.
According to Wokha SDO (Civil) Nuhuta Tunyi, Wokha SDPO Sangthing Khiam and his team had to trek down to reach Konyak due to the narrow road conditions. First aid was administered on-site before he was taken to District Hospital Wokha for further treatment.
Tunyi confirmed that Konyak was conscious and had sustained only minor scratches. A blood test was conducted as part of his medical evaluation.
Recounting his experience, Konyak stated that he got separated from his group and mistakenly walked in the wrong direction. Finding no way out, he spent the night at the spot. The next morning, he met a retired policeman who provided him with food and water before contacting the authorities, leading to his rescue.
While teams were engaged in controlling the wildfire, another blaze was reported in Niroyo village on Wednesday. Odyuo and his team conducted an aerial survey using drones and confirmed that while the damage was significant, villagers were actively managing the fire by setting counterfires to prevent it from spreading further.
The DDMA nodal officer expressed cautious optimism, stating that the fire was dying down in some areas and that local intervention had significantly reduced the risk. However, he emphasised that vigilance remained crucial.
He urged farmers and village councils to exercise extreme caution, especially during the dry and windy season, when practising slash-and-burn agriculture. He stressed following proper fire management protocols to prevent future incidents.
Meanwhile, although the fire had been extinguished, he said the team remained vigilant and was monitoring the situation to ensure a quick response in case of any emergency.