Fire engulfs Naina Devi temple area, 300 devotees rescued

Shimla: Nearly 300 devotees were rescued after a forest fire engulfed the Naina Devi area in the Nagrota Bagwan sub-division of Kangra district Tuesday evening, trapping worshippers and cutting off the access route to the temple.

Officials said the fire broke out around 3 pm and was initially brought under control. However, it flared up again around 7.30 pm and spread rapidly through the area, reaching the single road leading to the temple, which is located in the middle of a pine forest. A religious programme was underway at the temple when the incident occurred.

As flames advanced towards the temple parking area and thick smoke engulfed the surroundings, panic gripped the devotees, many of whom began calling for help. Forest and fire services teams were rushed to the spot, and a rescue operation to evacuate those trapped in the temple was launched.

After nearly three hours of firefighting and rescue efforts, all devotees were brought to safety, said an official.

Munish Sharma, the sub-divisional magistrate who oversaw the rescue operation, said the fire spread over around 10 km of the forest area. "It was a massive blaze that spread quickly due to dried chir blades and leaves in the forest, trapping devotees in the temple. Our priority was to clear the temple road of any danger posed by the fire. We were helped by the fire and forest personnel, as well as the local youth. All the devotees were evacuated at night after the road was cleared," said Sharma.

A forest department team led by the divisional forest officer visited the site on Wednesday to assess the damage and investigate the cause of the fire. While the extent of forest loss is yet to be determined, officials said the cause of the blaze remained unclear and was under investigation.

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