IAF sources said the two IAF MI-17V5 medium lift helicopters equipped with bambi buckets were despatched (Express/Representational Photo)
Two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters were pressed into service Saturday to lift water from the Sukhna Lake and use it to douse a massive forest fire at Kasauli that was spreading close to the Lower Mall and threatening the Air Force station as well. IAF sources said the two IAF MI-17V5 medium lift helicopters equipped with bambi buckets were despatched from Sarsawa Air Base near Saharanpur after receiving a request from the Himachal Pradesh government. “We received a request this afternoon that urgent help was needed following which the two helicopters were immediately despatched to deal with the fires,” said a senior IAF official.
Reports coming from Kasauli say that the fire has been threatening hamlets on the Dharampur-Kasauli road, Chakki-ka-Mor road, Kado village near Dosarka and Dochi village in Kasauli.
The two helicopters flew five sorties each in order to spray water over the fire raging in the hills. Evening walkers and tourists at Sukhna Lake were taken by surprise when they saw the helicopters circling over Sukhna, making repeated sorties to refill the bambi buckets.
Sources in the administration said officials had at first raised a protest at the IAF helicopters taking water from Sukhna Lake and directed them instead to the Siswan reservoir in Punjab.