When several fire tenders and other official vehicles were heading in that direction, we followed them to witness the reddened sky due to the huge flames, said a local from Dhemaji on Sunday as a massive wildfire gripped the region.
Initial reports from Dhemaji suggested that the fire had broken out in the Jiadhal forest area and had engulfed a large section of the forest land.
However, what exactly led to the huge forest fire was not immediately ascertained by the fire department officials.
According to the information received, the incident took place around late evening. It is thought to have broken out from a nearby tea garden and later spread to the forest.
The local said, "We were playing nearby at the time when we saw a fire truck heading in that direction. Soon after, two to three more fire trucks along with other official vehicles headed that way, so we decided to follow them."
"Initially we thought there was a minor fire at someone's residence. However, as we came closer, we could see the reddened sky due to the massive flames. I was told that the fire broke out at the nearby garden and soon spread," he added.
Due to the prolonged fire-fighting operations, several kilometers of forest land came under the flames and was entirely gutted. Meanwhile, a fire-truck was also initially stuck in the forest as it momentarily got surrounded by the flames.
However, it was able to come out unscathed and later on, the fire tenders were finally able to douse the flames.
An investigation in connection with the matter has been initiated to identify the cause of the inferno and further details are expected to emerge soon.
