Forest fire near Air Force Station in Kasauli IAF deploys its helicopters to put out blaze

Shimla, May 26 (PTI) A fire broke out in a forest area in Kasauli and at least two Indian Air Force helicopters were deployed to douse the blaze, officials said on Tuesday.
     The forest fire was reported near the Air Force Station in Kasauli, they said.
     The fire engulfed a significant portion of forest. Teams of the forest department and several fire tenders rushed to douse the fire but were unable to put out the fire.
     The IAF then deployed its Mil Mi-17 and Chinook helicopters to put out the fire, especially in inaccessible areas of the forest. Water was also lifted from Chandigarh's Sukhna Lake to douse the fire.
     Till last reports were received, efforts were still underway to put out the fire, officials said.
     In another incident, a forest fire was also reported in Rajhana village near Shimla. Teams of forest and fire departments rushed to put out the fire.
     Officials have stated that the rise in temperatures over the past few days is likely the cause behind the forest fires.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)