Overview
- The Forest Department conducted a helicopter reconnaissance on Wednesday and reported the fire is confined to surface fuels rather than the canopy.
- Ground and SDRF teams have been unable to reach the site because of treacherous 3,300–4,200 metre terrain and falling debris, rendering manual containment unviable.
- The blaze, detected on January 9 via an FSI alert, is burning in the Painkhanda/Pulna–Bhyundar area and satellite assessments put the affected zone at roughly 15 hectares on a hill opposite the protected valley.
- Officials say natural river barriers separate the burn area from the Valley of Flowers and assess the likelihood of spread into the core park as negligible.
- Uttarakhand has requested Indian Air Force assistance and is weighing helicopter water-bombing, as IMD officials link the persistence to scant snowfall, low humidity and dry leaf litter, with earlier aerial efforts limited by weather.