Army, IAF Battle Massive Kasauli Forest Fire in 15-Hour Overnight Operation

A massive forest fire that raged across the Gilbert Trail and Upper Mall areas of Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district was brought under control on Wednesday after an intensive overnight operation involving the Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) along with forest officials and local authorities.

The blaze erupted around 3 pm on Tuesday and spread rapidly through the dry forested hills amid soaring temperatures and highly combustible vegetation . Officials said prolonged heat, dry conditions and strong winds contributed to the rapid spread of the fire, which threatened nearby villages and sensitive zones close to an Air Force Station.

As local fire and forest teams struggled to contain the flames, the Army’s Kasauli Brigade launched a coordinated emergency response . IAF helicopters carried out multiple Bambi Bucket sorties , lifting water from Chandigarh’s Sukna Lake and dropping it over inaccessible fire-hit stretches.

Ground teams worked through the night creating firebreaks, isolating vulnerable pockets and extinguishing hotspots to prevent flare-ups. Officials confirmed that no casualties or injuries were reported during the operation.

Lt Gen Pushpendra Singh , Army Commander, Western Command, reviewed the mission and awarded On-the-Spot Commendation Cards to personnel involved in the firefighting effort.

The incident comes amid a sharp rise in forest fires across Himachal Pradesh. According to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjay Sood, the state has recorded 232 forest fire incidents this year, affecting nearly 2,900 hectares and causing losses estimated at Rs 67 lakh .

Authorities said rising temperatures with some regions nearing 40 degrees Celsius intensified wildfire risks across the hill state. The Kasauli operation also highlighted how climate-linked disasters are increasingly demanding military-scale emergency responses , advanced aerial firefighting support and faster inter-agency coordination.