Wildfire in Nagaland's Dzukou Valley forces evacuation of trekkers, trails shut

A wildfire in the southern stretch of Dzukou Valley in Nagaland’s Kohima district triggered the evacuation of more than 30 trekkers and led authorities to suspend all trekking activity in the area.

Officials said the trekkers, who were stranded due to the fire, were safely evacuated from the high-altitude valley. Containment operations were launched jointly by the district administration and the Southern Angami Youth Organisation (SAYO) to stop the blaze from spreading.

The Kohima District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said the fire is believed to have broken out on Monday, though officials were alerted only on Tuesday. The cause and exact origin of the wildfire remain unknown.

Deputy Commissioner B Henok Buchem has constituted a team for reconnaissance and rescue operations. “All available resources shall be mobilised to contain the further spread of the fire,” he said, adding that more personnel would be deployed if needed.

A DDMA official said an emergency meeting was scheduled on Wednesday afternoon to decide on further steps.

SAYO president Zasitsolie Beio said the organisation was alerted on Monday afternoon after volunteers shared videos and photographs from the site. He said priority was given to evacuating trekkers and enforcing precautionary measures.

Trekking has been temporarily suspended from both the Jakhama and Viswema entry points to Dzukou Valley.

The incident comes less than a month after a major wildfire in the Khonoma-Dzukou Valley area in December, which had required a multi-agency firefighting effort.