Kohima: A massive forest fire broke out at Kigwema village under Kohima district, Nagaland, on Thursday morning ravaging the Mt Kipfüzha and Mt Shürho to a large extend. As per the latest reports, except for a few sporadic remnants, the raging fire has been largely contained.
Local sources confirmed to EastMojo that youth volunteers tending to the fire has prevented it from spreading further to surrounding areas.
With the help of potato farmers camping along the foothills, the volunteers cleared jungle patches to contain the blaze. Fire was suspected to have been ignited after some farmers at the foothills of Mt Kipfüzha left their farm-clearing fires unattended, which were likely carried by strong winds.
Since there is no road connectivity to the mountains, the firefighters who arrived to assist the volunteers had to turn back as fire trucks could not reach the affected areas.
The fire started between 10 to 11 AM. Aided by strong winds and dry vegetation, it quickly spread to nearby Mt Shürho by afternoon.
According to sources, this is the first major forest fire in the area in recent years following a period of stringent enforcement against such incidents.
Mt Shürho is approximately 3 km from the main village, requiring a 20-minute walk, while from Japfü Christian College in Kipfüzha Colony, Kigwema, it takes about seven minutes to reach the fire’s point of origin.
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