By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Amid raging forest fires in the hills of Uttarakhand, State Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal on Tuesday said the government is taking all measures to control them and that the situation was not alarming.
At a press conference in Dehradun, the Forest Minister said a total of 394 forest fire incidents have occurred in Uttarakhand since Feb 15 this year affecting 331.12 hectares of forest land.
Of these, 285 incidents were recorded in the Garhwal division, impacting 241.32 hectares of forest area, while 74 incidents occurred in the Kumaon division, affecting 64.04 hectares. Additionally, 35 fire incidents were reported within wildlife zones, impacting 25.75 hectares of forest area.
Five districts of the state—Chamoli, Tehri, Pauri, Almora, and Pithoragarh—have been the most severely affected by these forest fires.
However, Uniyal emphasized that there is no alarming situation regarding forest fires anywhere within the state.
Last year, a total of 268 forest fire incidents were recorded in the state, affecting 310.95 hectares of forest land.
Over the 10-year period between 2016 and 2025, the state witnessed 14,638 forest fire incidents, impacting 23,682.77 hectares of forest area. During this period, a total of 35 people lost their lives, while 76 others sustained injuries.
Furthermore, he mentioned that approximately 5,625 ‘fire watchers’ have been deployed for forest fire mitigation; forest personnel engaged in firefighting operations have been provided with fire-resistant jackets and other essential equipment; the accident insurance cover for fire watchers has been enhanced from ₹2 lakh to ₹10 lakh; and the collection of *Pirul* (dry pine needles)—identified as one of the primary causes of forest fires—has been linked to livelihood generation opportunities.
Emphasizing public awareness as the most critical factor in preventing forest fires, he noted that the Forest Department recently organized over 3,500 awareness camps. In this regard, he highlighted that in 2020—during the COVID-19 pandemic—the state recorded its lowest number of forest fire incidents since its inception, with only 135 cases reported.