Massive forest fire near paragliding site in Dharamsala

A massive fire broke out in the forest areas of Dharamsala near the Indrunag temple, under the paragliding site, on Sunday night, engulfing a huge area.

The forest fire has reportedly affected hundreds of pine trees in the vicinity of Dharamsala and McLeodganj towns.

The fire spread rapidly throughout the night.

In the morning, although the flames were not visible, smoke was still emanating from the fire-affected areas.

The possibility of losses to the lives of wild animals and birds could not be ruled out, judging by the intensity of the fire. The fire spread over a large area due to the dry grass and wind.

The exact cause of the fire was not immediately known. Tarush Jamwal, a local tourist guide, said that such fire incidents in the forest hills do not occur naturally.

“I suspect it has been caused by intentional acts because the fire originated from a height and later spread downwards.”

The local people said that the dry grass increased the fire, which spread wildly across large areas.

Fire officer Karam Chand said that they went to the spot with fire tenders, but it was impossible to reach the higher areas. Their focus was on preventing the fire from spreading into the nearby inhabited areas in the lower areas.