Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul on Friday doubled the number of people engaged in fighting forest fires across the state – 6,000 personnel will now work towards controlling the flames, which have spread over thousands of hectares, PTI reported. Around 1,500 villages in Kumaon and Garhwal are under threat, ANI reported. Pauri, Chamoli, Nainital, and Almora districts are among those where the fires have broken out.

The governor has also sanctioned additional funds of Rs 5 crore to tackle the areas affected. Three teams of National Disaster Response Force personnel were sent to assist firefighters and State Disaster Response Force members. Inspector General of Police (Garhwal), Sanjay Gunjyal told The Times of India that the teams were currently trying to prevent the fires from spreading further.

Around 600 forest fires have been reported in the state since February, according to an NDTV report, and they have destroyed more than 2,800 hectares of land. The state has also been dealing with a severe drought crisis in recent months. Two people have been killed in the fires in the last few days, NDTV said.

The state has been run by the governor following a crisis in its government from March onwards. Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Thursday asked the governor to declare Uttarakhand a “forest fire-ravaged” state, arguing it would help get financial assistance to deal with the rising number of such outbreaks.