Indian Air Force (IAF) launched an aerial firefighting operation on Tuesday to combat a major forest fire in the Mebo and Sigar areas near Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.

According to officials, the IAF deployed a Mil Mi‑17 V5 helicopter to contain the blaze. During the operation, the helicopter carried out multiple sorties and dropped nearly66,000 litres of waterover the affected forest areas in an effort to bring the fire under control and prevent it from spreading to nearby settlements.

In a post on social media platform X, the IAF shared photographs and videos of the aerial firefighting mission, highlighting the intensity of the blaze and the efforts undertaken by the aircrew to control the situation.

The force stated that the helicopter conducted several water-dropping sorties to limit the spread of the flames and safeguard nearby habitations in the region. The operation demonstrated the air force’s rapid response capability in handling emergency situations.

“IAF demonstrated rapid response and operational precision in Arunachal Pradesh, deploying a Mi-17 V5 helicopter to battle a major forest fire in the Mebo and Sigar areas of Pasighat,” the force said in its statement, adding that66,000 litres of water were released during the mission.

Earlier this year, on February 18, the IAF had also carried out firefighting operations in the northeastern region. At Walong, IAF helicopters successfully extinguished a large wildfire by dropping nearly139,800 litres of waterover the affected area.