A raging forest fire has placed the remote Kibithoo sector in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district on red alert along the India’s easternmost frontier. Towering flames, whipped by strong dry winds across parched grasslands and dense forest cover, are advancing perilously close to key Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) installations near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
The blaze erupted in the rugged, mountainous terrain of Kibithoo, one of the country’s most isolated and strategically vital outposts. Nestled at high altitudes in one of the world’s most biodiverse yet unforgiving Himalayan landscapes, Kibithoo stands as India’s easternmost inhabited point, a sentinel guarding the sensitive eastern sector of the India-China border.
Its limited road access, steep cliffs, and extreme weather have turned what might be a routine firefighting operation into a high-stakes battle against nature itself.
Security forces swung into action within minutes of detecting the fire’s threatening trajectory. Coordinated teams of Army jawans and ITBP personnel worked through the night, hacking firebreaks with hand tools, deploying water pumps where possible, and setting back-burns to starve the blaze of fuel. Thick smoke billowed into the crisp mountain air, visible for miles, while the crackle of burning undergrowth echoed across the valleys.
No casualties have been reported so far, but officials described conditions as “extremely critical,” with the fire’s unpredictable spread fuelled by unusually dry February winds, an early and intensified fire season.
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This incident unfolds against a backdrop of alarming wildfire activity across Arunachal Pradesh. Reports indicate nearly 200 times more fire incidents in early 2026 compared to the previous year, with uncontrolled jhum (shifting cultivation) fires and moisture deficits turning vast stretches of forest into tinderboxes.
Similar blazes in nearby Walong and other Anjaw areas earlier this month required sustained Indian Air Force helicopter water-drops of over 1.39 lakh litres, highlighting the region’s vulnerability.
Troops continue round-the-clock operations, bolstered by emergency protocols to protect critical border infrastructure, communication lines, and forward posts. Helicopters remain on standby for potential aerial support, while civil authorities monitor weather patterns that could either aid containment or fan the flames further.
As night falls over the eastern Himalayas, the defenders of Kibithoo remain vigilant—holding the line not only against an advancing inferno but also safeguarding India’s strategic interests in one of its most remote and contested corners. Authorities say the situation is being closely watched, with every effort focused on preventing any breach into operational zones.
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