Forest fire at Kasauli Air Force station, four injured

Tribune News Service

Solan, May 15

Four persons, including three firemen, were injured and a fire tender was partially destroyed in a massive fire which broke out at the Air Force Station in Kasauli around 6.30 am today.

The fire was noticed by some villagers who alerted the Air Force authorities. They swung into action and fire tenders were requisitioned from the cantonment and the Air Force Station initially.

Firemen were trying to control another fire that broke out near Central Research Institute at Kasauli late this evening.

The whole area was engulfed in a plume of smoke as fire could not be controlled. Smoke was seen billowing from the dry pine needle-ridden forest throughout the day.

Commandant, Home Guards, Dr Shiv Kumar Sharma said fire tenders were rushed to the spot as soon as information was received around 9:30 am. Fire tender driver Jagdish Sharma, fireman Mohinder Sharma and a Home Guard jawan Satish Kumar were injured with 10 to 30 per cent burn injuries. They sustained injuries while trying to douse the fire which was fuelled by high-speed winds blowing in the area.

A civilian contractor Rishu Aggarwal, who was undertaking some work at the site, also sustained severe burn injuries.

They were rushed to the Army Hospital in Kasauli from where they were shifted to the PGI, Chandigarh.

Three fire tenders from Kuthar, Parwanoo, Solan, besides those from Kasauli Cantonment and the Army, were engaged in dousing the fire.

Though intense firefighting continued throughout the day by the Air Force, firemen, locals and forest staff, fire could not be controlled till the filing of this report.

Dr Sharma said since the fire tenders were unable to reach out to the hill where the fire had broken out, it spread fast with the high wind.

The airforce authorities have deployed a large posse of personnel to douse the fire, keeping in view the damage it can cause to the station. Dr Sharma said several fire incidents had taken place throughout the district in this long weekend. They appear to be have been triggered by miscreants.

Two tourists trapped in a forest fire near Deonghat in Solan were also saved by the fire staff. Solan DFO Shreshtanand said several fires had taken place in the district at Kasauli, Dharampur and Solan. He said teams were trying to control the ground fires and 15 to 20 people were deputed at each site.

A Defence chopper from Chandimandir was pressed into service to douse the fire. The chopper was seen filling water from the Kaushalya river near Parwanoo before heading for Kasauli to douse the fire.

Fire was fuelled by winds

• Fire tender driver Jagdish Sharma, fireman Mohinder Sharma and a Home Guard sleuth, Satish Kumar, were injured
• They sustained injuries while trying to douse the fire which was fuelled by high speed winds blowing in the area
• A civilian contractor, Rishu Aggarwal, who was undertaking some work at the said site, also sustained severe burn injuries

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