Forest Fires in the Himalayan Region

Most Himalayan forest fires start with a match, not lightning. But a 2026 study found something else drives how far they spread: temperature. Just one degree Celsius of extra summer heat means roughly 128 more fires.

MCQ Questions

EnvEco0048

+128 Fires

Additional fire incidents linked to every 1°C rise in mean summer temperature (2026 FRI-IIT Roorkee study).

Uttarakhand

476 Fires

15 Feb-29 May 2026, 402.38 hectares

Himachal Pradesh

295 Fires

Same 2026 monitoring window

Jammu & Kashmir

926 Fires

Same 2026 monitoring window

National Trend

↑ 80%+

Jan-Feb 2026 fires vs. 2014-2023 average

Human-lit, climate-driven: most fires start with human activity, but rising temperatures and a severe winter precipitation deficit are what let them spread further and faster.

📑 Contents

1Timeline
2Must Know
3Good to Know
4Test Yourself
5Great to Know

Timeline

2018: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) launches the National Action Plan on Forest Fire (NAPFF).
2019: The Forest Survey of India (FSI) upgrades its alert system to Forest Fire Alert System version 3.0 (FAST 3.0).
October-December 2025: The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing reports an “alarming decline” in winter precipitation across the Himalayan region.
February-May 2026: A severe fire season strikes the Himalayan states, with Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir all recording sharp spikes.
June 2026: A joint Forest Research Institute-IIT Roorkee study confirms temperature as the single strongest driver of Western Himalayan forest fires.

Must Know

Himalayan forest fires typically occur between November and June, during the region’s drier months.
The fire season peaks in the pre-monsoon months of March, April, and May.
Uttarakhand is the most fire-prone state in the Indian Western Himalaya, according to the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
Most forest fires in India are triggered by human activity. But a 2026 study found temperature to be the single strongest driver, among 39 variables analysed.
Every 1°C rise in mean summer temperature was linked to roughly 128 additional fire incidents, in that study.
FSI runs the Forest Fire Alert System (FAST). It uses MODIS satellite sensors to send near-real-time fire alerts to State Forest Departments.
The National Action Plan on Forest Fire (NAPFF), 2018, coordinates prevention, active control, and post-fire community response, nationwide.

Good to Know

The 2026 driver study, by the Forest Research Institute (Dehradun) and IIT Roorkee, analysed over 18,000 independent fire locations from 2013 to 2022.
It covered Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh, examining 39 bioclimatic, anthropogenic, and topographic variables.
Fires cluster heavily close to roads and human settlements. Fire counts drop sharply beyond about 1 kilometre from a road.
Declining winter snowfall and rainfall dry out forest floors, leaving dead pine needles and leaf litter more flammable.
The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) reported a winter precipitation deficit of 60% to 116% below normal, from October to December 2025.
Uttarakhand’s own Forest Department names four broad causes of forest fires: deliberate fires by locals, carelessness, farming-related activity, and natural causes.
Himalayan forests, including the Eastern Himalaya, are estimated to hold about 3,273 million tonnes of carbon, a stock repeated burning puts at real risk.

Test Yourself

Great to Know

In the first two months of 2026, forest fires nationwide rose more than 80% compared with the 2014-2023 decade average.
Fire activity in 2026 was also over 50% higher than in 2024, previously the warmest year on record.
Between 15 February and 29 May 2026, Uttarakhand alone recorded 476 forest fires, affecting 402.38 hectares. Himachal Pradesh logged 295 fires, and Jammu & Kashmir recorded 926.
Uttarakhand’s 2026 fire season began unusually early. The state recorded 54 fire incidents between 1 November 2025 and 14 February 2026, well before the usual peak season.
Severe February 2026 fires in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland prompted aerial firefighting by the Indian Air Force. Over 12,000 litres of water were dropped in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lohit valley alone.
FSI’s Van Agni Geo-Portal now visualises near-real-time fire detections, fire danger ratings, and fire-prone forest areas, for use by State Forest Departments.

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