IAF, Army jawans battle massive Arunachal forest fire for 5th day

Itanagar: Firefighting operations against the massive forest fire that broke out on Feb 13 at Walong in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh continued for the fifth straight day, with the Indian Army’s Spear Corps joining hands with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and civil administration, officials said.An estimated 4,50,000 sq metres of forest area has been destroyed in the fire.Troops deployed manpower, heavy equipment, and IAF helicopters for round-the-clock aerial water drops and reconnaissance, battling difficult terrain to douse flames and prevent flare-ups, defence spokesperson Lt Col Mahendra Rawat said.The GOC 2 Mountain Division visited the site and praised the forces’ dedication amid challenging conditions. Significant progress has been made in curbing the blaze, with vigilant monitoring underway to prevent re-ignition. “This coordinated push underscores our commitment to protect lives and communities,” an official said.Last month, Spear Corps troops, along with the IAF, had contained another forest fire in Kaho village near the Sino-India border in the same district.For the current operation, the IAF deployed Mi-17V5 helicopters, dropping 12,000 litres of water to contain the wildfire.