The heatwave sweeping the region has unleashed a rash of forest fires in the Himachal Pradesh hill state over the past fortnight. Thick columns of smoke rising from the numerous raging fires in the middle and lower hill ranges have completely obscured the skyline. A pall of smoke and dust has enveloped the region. There has been a five-fold increase in the incidence of fires over the past two weeks. Until May 21 only 67 fires, involving 788 hectare of the forest area, were reported. However, the number rose to 350 on June 6 and the forest area affected 5,578 hectare. The total has been estimated at Rs 25 lakh.