By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Most of the forest fires have been controlled in Uttarakhand after heavy rains during the past few days in the hills.
In the past two days, no new forest fire incident has been reported from any part of the state. “Yes, most of the forest fires have been controlled by the rains,” said Ranjan Kumar Mishra, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (HoFF).
A total of 510 forest fire incidents occurred in Uttarakhand since Feb 15 this year affecting 433.63 hectares of forest land.
Of these, 373 incidents were recorded in the Garhwal division, impacting 320.28 hectares of forest area, while 82 incidents occurred in the Kumaon division, affecting 68.75 hectares. Additionally, 55 fire incidents were reported within wildlife zones, impacting 44.6 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.
Recently State Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal emphasized that there was 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.