The helicopters lifted water from Sukhna lake and did a firefighting operation for hours till the ground staff were sure that there was no threat to the installations. A MASSIVE forest fire that posed a threat to the Kasauli Air Force Station and homes in the Lower Mall was finally brought under control on Sunday, though it forced the railway authorities to temporarily halt two trains on the Shimla-Kalka UNSECO heritage track. Himachal additional chief conservator of forests Alok Nagar said the Indian Air Force, which took up the operation to douse the fire by deploying two helicopters, had managed to protect defence property. The teams of the forest department were also engaged in controlling the fire. They worked through the night to ensure that the fire did not spread to the residential areas, though reaching the fire point was very tough, Nagar told Chandigarh Newsline. On Sunday, two trains going up to Shimla from Kalka — the Rail Car and Shivalik Express — had to be halted for some time in the middle of the journey due to the flames. But no train service was cancelled because of the fire. The reports said the fire had spread because of dry pine needles in the day on Saturday and there was no way to stop the fire, which started from Dochi village, just close to the Air Force Station. The helicopters lifted water from Sukhna lake and did a firefighting operation for hours till the ground staff were sure that there was no threat to the installations. “In fact, the fire in these forests has almost become a routine thing in the summers. The mountain slopes help the fire spread and winds take the flames to nearby areas, which also has human population,” Nagar said. As per forest records, more than 726 fire incidents have been reported till May 24, leaving 5,600 hectares of area affected. The actual loss due to the forest fire was being calculated, he said.