Massive forest fire in Solan’s Kasauli beat doused after 27 hours; IAF joins operation

SHIMLA: A massive forest fire that raged for more than 27 hours in the Kasauli Beat area of Solan district was brought under control on Wednesday following a joint operation by ground teams and the Indian Air Force (IAF).

According to the State Forest Department, the blaze broke out around 1 pm on May 26 and spread across nearly 10 hectares of forest land. Officials classified the incident as a ground fire. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

The firefighting operation was carried out under the state’s Incident Response System with coordinated efforts from multiple agencies. Nine personnel from the State Forest Department were deployed to contain the flames in the difficult terrain.

Aerial support from the IAF was pressed into service to assist ground teams in dousing the fire, officials said. The Indian Air Force was battling a raging forest fire threatening the Kasauli hills in Himachal Pradesh since 1700 hours on Tuesday, officials said on Wednesday.

Four Mi-17 V5 helicopters have carried out more than 150 sorties over affected zones, dropping 62,500 litres of water to contain the blaze. The fire had threatened military installations and residential areas in Kasauli.

IAF pilots have been drawing water from Sukhna Lake using Bambi buckets, with each sortie carrying 2,000 to 2,500 litres. Operations have continued day and night, with helicopters conducting NVG-aided night sorties to support firefighting efforts.

Officials said the IAF’s intervention has succeeded in extinguishing and controlling the fire. The operation reflects close coordination between the local administration and the IAF under the aid to civil authorities. Efforts to prevent further spread and protect forests, lives and property were still underway, IAF officials added.

Meanwhile, in a swift and critical operation, the Indian Air Force (IAF) mobilised its aviation assets to assist local authorities in dousing raging forest fires in the hills of Kasauli. Responding to an urgent request for aerial support, IAF helicopters were deployed to the affected region today to carry out precision firefighting efforts.

The operation utilised the specialised “Bambi Bucket” system — a flexible, underslung bucket attached to the helicopters designed to scoop water from nearby natural or man-made reservoirs and release it directly over targeted hotspots. The challenging mountainous terrain, characterised by steep slopes and strong, unpredictable winds, made ground access difficult for local forest fire crews.

While the state has incurred an estimated financial loss of approximately Rs 67 lakh, officials noted that these figures are preliminary and may be adjusted as the forest naturally regenerates post-monsoon. (ANI)