A fiery twist to the air show

The National Disaster Relief Force dousing one of the fires they attribute to arson.

As the fighter jets thunder over the sky and aerobatics teams do their aerial pirouettes at the Air Force Station, Yelahanka, where the Aero India 2013 is under way, the authorities on the ground have been kept busy with a rash of mysterious fires on the periphery. These conflagrations, which have become a cause for concern, are being spotted and doused quickly by the response team of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF).

“Fires have been noticed on the dry grass, and it seems to us that they have been deliberately lit,” a senior source in the NDRF said. This is especially so at Gate 9 towards Nagenahalli. The source confirmed it was arson.

The Arakkonam-based fourth battalion of the NDRF, led by Assistant Commandant Sandrew W.N., has been deployed to respond to any disaster or emergencies.

Confirming that a rash of fires, especially on the periphery of the air station, have been doused, a senior official of the Department of Fire Services told

The Hindu at least eight fires that were set deliberately by local communities had been doused. “The air show may have drawn big crowd from the city, but the local population has been disturbed over the last 10 days by flight movement and traffic snarls. To create a nuisance during the show, these fires have been set on the dry grass,” a source said.