India, May 27 -- Following a relentless 15-hour overnight operation that extended well into Wednesday, the army, in close coordination with the Indian Air Force (IAF), civil administrators from Kasauli and Chandigarh, and local emergency services, successfully contained a major forest fire.

The blaze had threatened to engulf the prominent Gilbert Trail, Upper Mall, and adjacent western slopes of the popular Himachal Pradesh hill station.

The fire broke out around 3pm on Tuesday, quickly escalating into a high-stakes emergency as it spread perilously close to the Kasauli air force station. Fuelled by highly combustible dry pine needles, soaring summer temperatures, and strong mountain winds, the flames rapidly cut through the Dharampur-S...