Fire Erupts Near Shimla’s Boileauganj Mental Hospital, 1,000 Sq Ft Affected
Shimla: A massive fire broke out near the government mental hospital in Boileauganj on Thursday morning and engulfed around 1,000 square meters of land, officials said.
Boileauganj Fire Officer Ramesh Kumar Sharma said the department received information about the fire around 10:43 am.
Speaking to ANI, Boileauganj Fire Officer Ramesh Kumar Sharma said, “We received the information around 10.43 am. The fire had spread over an area of around 1000 square metres. We are facing problems as the fire is very large. We are clearing the route of the fire line to prevent it from spreading faster. We are trying to extinguish the fire. Let’s see how long it will take.”
“Local resident Narendra Kumar said the fire broke out near the government mental hospital and a dog kennel in the area.
Kumar, a local resident, told ANI, “There is a government mental hospital near Boileauganj and it caught fire for a long time along with the dog kennel nearby. When I came from the village, there was a huge fire. Fire Brigade and Forest Department were at the scene, they extinguished the fire along with local people. Trees caught fire and there were houses in the village too.
“Meanwhile, the massive forest fire that lasted for more than 27 hours in Kasauli Beat area of Solan district on Wednesday was brought under control by a joint operation of ground teams and the Indian Air Force (IAF).
According to the State Ministry of Forestry, the fire broke out around 13:00 on May 26 and spread to a forest area of approximately 10 hectares. Authorities classified the incident as a land fire. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
The firefighting operation was conducted through the coordinated efforts of multiple agencies within the state’s Incident Response System. Nine personnel from the State Forestry Department were assigned to control the flames in the difficult terrain.
IAF air support has been pressed into service to help ground teams douse the fire, officials said.
The Indian Air Force has been battling a raging forest fire threatening the Kasauli hills in Himachal Pradesh since 5 pm on Tuesday, officials said on Wednesday.
Four Mi-17 V5 helicopters flew more than 150 sorties in the affected areas and dropped 62,500 liters of water to control the fire. The fire had threatened military installations and residential areas in Kasauli.
IAF pilots were drawing water from Sukhna Lake using Bambi buckets, with each sortie carrying 2,000 to 2,500 liters.
Operations continued day and night, with helicopters performing NVG-supported night sorties to support firefighting efforts.
The IAF’s intervention succeeded in extinguishing and bringing the fire under control, officials said. The operation reflects close coordination between the local government and the IAF in the context of assistance to civil authorities.
Efforts to prevent further spread and protect forests, lives and property are still ongoing, IAF officials added.
The difficult mountainous terrain, characterized by steep slopes and strong, unpredictable winds, made it difficult for local forest fire crews to access land.
While the state has incurred an estimated financial loss of around Rs 67 lakh, officials have stated that these figures are provisional and may be adjusted due to the natural regeneration of the forest post-monsoon.
