IAF helicopter roped in to douse forest fires in Uttarakhand's Nainital

An IAF helicopter was pressed into service on Saturday to extinguish the raging forest fires in Uttarakhand's Nainital district, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said. The situation in the district worsened on Friday with the flames reaching the High Court Colony in the Pines area. An MI-17 helicopter collected water in a Bambi Bucket from Bhimtal lake and poured it over the burning forests of Pines, Bhumiadhar, Jyolikot, Narayan Nagar, Bhawali, Ramgarh and Mukteshwar areas of the district, officials said. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said all efforts are being made to bring the fires under control and it will be done soon. "An IAF helicopter has already started dousing the fires," he said. Dhami said he will hold a meeting with forest officials in Haldwani later in the day to review the situation. Three people were arrested in Rudraprayag on Friday while trying to set fire to forests. As many as 31 fresh incidents of forest fire were reported from various parts of the s