Uttarakhand Fire: CM Dhami takes stock, IAF choppers spray water, 4 firefighters killed, 4 injured | Top 9 updates

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary Forest Fire: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has instructed officials to control the forest fire in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary swiftly, according to an ANI report.

Dhami stressed the urgency of containing the fire as soon as possible and directed officials to use help from the Indian Air Force (IAF) to spray water on the affected area with helicopters and other necessary resources, it added.

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In a post on the social media site X (formerly known as Twitter), Dhami expressed his sorrow for the death of four firefighters sent to combat the situation.

"Very heartbreaking news has been received about the death of 4 forest workers due to forest fire in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary. In this hour of grief, our government stands with the families of the deceased and is committed to provide all possible help. An ex-gratia amount of ₹10 lakh has been announced to the families of each deceased," Dhami wrote.

Here are the top 9 updates:

• CM Dhami held a high-level meeting with the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, and Chief Conservator of Forests (HoFF) on June 14 to discuss the situation.

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• Special Secretary to the Chief Minister, Shri Parag Madhukar Dhakate, stated that the situation is being monitored closely, and post-mortems are being conducted.
• The IAF's Mi17 V5 helicopters leapt into action on June 14, taking off from Sarsawa at first light to undertake Bambi Bucket operations to extinguish the forest fires in Almora district. The action came after the State administration's requested help in dousing the uncontrollable fire at the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary.

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• Forest officials reported that four firefighters lost their lives, and four others sustained serious injuries while combating the intense blaze in the Binsar forest, located in Almora district, Uttarakhand.
• Civil Soyam Forest Divisional Officer Dhruv Singh Martolia said the deceased include Binsar Range Forest 'Beat' Officer Trilok Singh Mehta, 'Fire Watcher' Karan Arya, Provincial Armed Constabulary Jawan Puran Singh, and daily wage worker Diwan Ram.
• Dhami said the Uttarakhand state government has announced an ex-gratia amount of ₹10 lakh for the families of each deceased.
• The injured firefighters were rushed to the Haldwani Base Hospital for urgent medical care. Manoj Sanwal, a Ranger with the Forest Department, told ANI that strong winds contributed to the disaster.

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• Sanwal told reporters that they received information about the fire at 3 pm on June 13 and dispatched a team of eight firefighters to the location. "Due to the strong wind, the fire escalated rapidly, resulting in four fatalities on the spot and four serious injuries. The injured have been referred to the base hospital," Sanwal said.
• Due to hot and dry weather, forest fires are recurring in Uttarakhand. The forest fire bulletin reported seven incidents in the last 24 hours, affecting 4.50 hectares of forest.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)