Firemen take 8 hrs to douse flames near Jubbar watch unit

Tribune News Service

Solan, May 21

It took firefighters eight hours to control the forest fire around a watch manufacturing unit in Jubbar, Kasauli tehsil, last evening. Though no loss of life or property was reported, 150 Home Guards, Air Force officials, policemen, forest staff and firemen remained on their toes till 4 am.

Four fire tenders from Kasauli, Parwanoo and Solan were pressed into service. Due to high-velocity winds, the fire spread from the forest area to the unit. Parwanoo DSP Pramod Chauhan, who was among the first to reach the spot, said around 12.30 pm, they initiated cross-fires and moistened the forest floor to control the fire. The flames were doused by 4 am this morning though smoke could still be seen in the area. A tree on the unit campus caught fire and fell on an electricity pole. It disrupted the supply and also hindered the movement of the fire tenders, said a unit staffer. Timely action by the firefighters helped save the residential quarters of the unit staff. Two years ago, some houses on the unit premises were destroyed in a forest fire, said an official.

Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar said as soon as he learnt about the fire, he directed the officials to rush to the spot and arrange the fire tenders along with adequate manpower. Due to fire incidents in various parts of Parwanoo division, the Electricity Department has suffered huge losses. Five main electricity poles and at least 12 subsidiary poles were damaged as trees fell on them following a storm. “Dagshai, Dharampur and its surrounding areas have been without power since last evening,” said Executive Engineer, Parwanoo, Anil Sehgal.

A youth, Sandeep Thakur, hailing from district Bilaspur, was injured when the branch of a tree fell on him near Saproon Chowk last evening in Solan. He succumbed to his injuries at the Regional Hospital today.