A major forest fire broke out in the Kyarighat village area of Kandaghat in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district on Tuesday. The fire spread rapidly across the hilly forest region towards Kasauli, with thick smoke visible from a distance as flames engulfed large stretches of land.
Emergency teams, forest department officials, and local residents have been working continuously to control the rapidly spreading blaze. The fire was reported near the Air Force Station in Kasauli, where a significant portion of the forest was affected.
Several fire tenders and forest department teams rushed to the spot, but difficult terrain and strong flames made firefighting operations challenging. The Indian Air Force later deployed Mi-17 and Chinook helicopters to help douse the fire, especially in inaccessible forest areas.
Officials said water was lifted from Chandigarh’s Sukhna Lake and dropped over the affected areas to control the blaze. Efforts to fully extinguish the fire were still underway till the last reports came in.
In another incident, a forest fire was also reported in Rajhana village near Shimla. Teams from the forest and fire departments were sent to the area to contain the flames.
Officials believe the recent rise in temperatures across Himachal Pradesh may have triggered the forest fires in different parts of the state.
Earlier this month, a separate fire incident was reported at a shop in Chotta Shimla near the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat, causing major damage to the premises. Quick action by the fire department and local residents helped control the blaze before it spread further. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and the fire was contained to a single shop.
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