Amid blazing forest fires in Nainital, Uttarakhand, an Indian Air Force MI-17 helicopter was pressed into service to douse the flames that reached dangerously close to the main town.
According to reports, flames reached the High Court Colony in the Pines area.
The blaze came dangerously close to the colony's houses and an Army cantonment around five kilometres away from the Pines, prompting authorities to respond.
The Indian Air Force said a Mi-17 V5 helicopter was deployed to assist in the firefighting operations.
"With a forest fire building up in the vicinity of an Air Force Station near Nainital, #IAF activated its aerial fire fighting capability, employing a Mi-17 V5 helicopter for undertaking Bambi Bucket Ops," it posted on 'X'.
The helicopter collected water from the nearby Naini and Bhimtal lakes in a Bambi bucket and poured it over the burning forests of the Pines, Bhumiadhar, Jyolikot, Narayan Nagar, Bhawali, Ramgarh and Mukteshwar areas.
The bucket can hold up to 5,000 litres of water at a time.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said all efforts are being made to bring the fires under control.
The continued dry spell in the hill state for several weeks has led to a spike in forest fire incidents, especially in the Kumaon region.
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