Forest fire scare in Dharampur now

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, May 2

Around 600 students and 150 staffers of a residential school near Dharampur were evacuated to an open field after a forest fire threatened to engulf the complex around 10 am today.

A number of fires raged in the pine forests along the Parwanoo-Shimla national highway during the day as authorities battled to keep them from spreading.

The Pinegrove School management had been on high alert since last evening as the fire raged near the school complex. This morning, the students were taken to an open area as the fire closed in.

Three fire tenders were rushed from Parwanoo and Solan in the afternoon as the fire spread along the southern end of the school, said school director AJ Singh. The firemen, assisted by forest officials, policemen, school staff as well as villagers, battled for hours to bring the fire under control, said Conservator of Forests YP Gupta.

The school is surrounded by pine forests and incidences of fire increase when pine needles are dry. A large part of the forest area in Dagshai cantonment too remained engulfed in smoke throughout the day. A major fire near an industrial unit in Jabli also reduced visibility on the national highway this morning.

Major fires in Rajouri

Major fires broke out in the Nowshera and Sunderbani tehsils near the LoC in Rajouri district of J&K on Monday. Fires were reported in the forests of the Bathuni area besides the border belt of Nowshera sector. 

U’khand blaze abates

Forest fires raging through large parts of Uttarakhand showed signs of abating on Monday. The number of active fires dropped to 40 from 73 even as Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the situation was ‘under control’. Three persons were also arrested for burning dry leaves. 

Mercury soars in North

Delhi 44 °C

Delhi witnessed season’s hottest day (44 °C), while Telangana and Odisha reported 36 more sunstroke deaths on Monday

Hisar 45.5 °C

Hisar (45.5 °C) remained the hottest place in plains, followed by UP’s Banda (45.2). Shimla was hot too at 28 °C