Himachal forest fires rage in Solan as heatwave, dry weather worsen crisis
A devastating fire in Solan’s Kandaghat area on Tuesday destroyed a local wooden shop, narrowly missing upper-floor residential quarters.
On Tuesday, extreme heat and dry weather sparked a major forest fire in Solan’s Kandaghat area, destroying several wooden shops.(Photosource: ANI) On Tuesday, extreme heat and dry weather sparked a major forest fire in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district, destroying several wooden shops. Thick smoke engulfed the hilly terrain of Kyarighat village, and the flames were visible across the forest stretch. However, no casualties were reported.
Emergency teams have been deployed to mitigate the risk of forest fires. Fire departments’ prompt response and citizens’ support curbed the rapid spread of the fire. Two firefighters were deployed at the scene, and the fire was successfully contained, limiting the damage to a single wooden shop, ANI reported.
#WATCH | Indian Air Force choppers engaged in dousing forest fire in Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh.
(Video Source: Indian Air Force) pic.twitter.com/hPj2J1AcgD
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The report indicating a fire at a construction site near a Gurudwara was received by Regional Officer Nitin Divan, who informed the Sub-Fire Officer Bhagat Ram Thakur from the Fire Station Chulhasan.
Investigations further revealed that the probable cause of the fire incident was due to an electrical short circuit.
Fire in Solan, Himachal Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/x4GHmTZNgw
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Thakur further reported and reassured that the fire has been extinguished completely, and investigations are still in progress to determine the exact cause.
Shopkeeper Monu Gupta said that he was absent from his shop to bring some goods. When he returned, a blaze damaged his wooden shop. He speculates that the reason was due to a short circuit. “There has been a lot of damage. There were mixers and other items, and since the shop is made of wood, the damage is extensive. About five or six people live upstairs with their families,” he added.
The tenants have suffered extensive loss.
Recent incident reports
At the beginning of May, another fire casualty was reported at a shop in Chotta Shimla, causing extensive damage. Reports of multiple fires in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have been alerted at the fire stations. Regions with the chir pine tree have reported several forest fires. In Uttarakhand, around 400 fire incidents have been reported. The fire-prone regions in Uttarakhand are Almora, Pauri, Chamoli, and Rudraprayag. Solan, Dharampur, Shimla, and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh have reported several forest fires.
Summer shedding makes the Chir pine forests vulnerable
Chir pine trees are highly combustible and dominate a stretch of the Himalayan belt. In the summer, the trees shed dry needles, which are locally called Pirul. The resin from these needles is inflammable. The quantity shed is massive and covers the floor. The accumulation can cause a massive fire simply from a small spark from a cigarette butt.
SukhuSukhvinder tweeted to draw attention to the rise in forest fires due to biodiversity damage
Continuous forest fires in Solan , Himachal Pradesh for the last 3 -5 days
A huge number of biodiversity destroyed
What are you doing @SukhuSukhvinder ?Save the Himachal for God sake ! pic.twitter.com/KIooEtnWDc
— Dr.Dhruv Chauhan (@DrDhruvchauhan) May 26, 2026
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Climate change is worsening wildfire frequency and scale
Human activities such as roadside burning, campfires, and dry vegetation further escalate the probability of massive fires. Climate change is further amplifying the situation. The dry spells in the summer have prolonged, resulting in fire outbreaks. The fire incidents are longer, massive, intense, and geographically widespread.
Ecological restoration seen as key to preventing forest fires
Provisions have recently been made under the Himachal Pradesh Land Preservation Act to control fire damage to pine trees and reduce their accumulation on forest floors. However, better forest management practices, pine needle clearance, and the restoration of the ecologically diverse forest can help mitigate the devastating effects of forest fires.
(The article is curated by Salonee Kulkarni, who is an Intern at The Indian Express.)
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