A major forest fire broke out near the Sigar military station in Arunachal Pradesh's East Siang district on Saturday, spreading quickly through dense vegetation and raising concerns about the safety of nearby defence installations.
Ground teams struggled to contain the blaze due to the area's difficult terrain, prompting the state government to seek urgent assistance from the Indian Air Force.
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Following reports of the fire, the Arunachal Pradesh government formally requisitioned an IAF helicopter for aerial firefighting support after local authorities found the challenging landscape made ground-level containment efforts insufficient.
According to an official communication from the state civil aviation department, the government confirmed that air freight charges for the operation would be covered by the Arunachal Pradesh government through the office of the Deputy Commissioner of East Siang district.
Authorities were also directed to coordinate with the Ministry of Defence and the Eastern Air Command headquarters of the IAF in Shillong for the necessary approvals and urgent deployment.
The administration was instructed to arrange logistical support for the IAF crew — including food, accommodation, and local transport — and to share geo-coordinates, altitude details of the affected area, and information on nearby water sources suitable for firefighting.
An IAF helicopter was deployed on Sunday and began aerial dousing operations, lifting water directly from the Siang River to combat the fire from above.
However, the Extra Assistant Commissioner temporarily halted the aerial operation on Sunday evening due to operational reasons, according to information received from the Deputy Commissioner of East Siang district.
The aerial operation is expected to resume on Monday morning. Ground firefighting efforts are continuing in the affected area in the meantime.