Kodaikanal’s forest fire
7 months, 1 week ago

Kodaikanal’s forest fire

The Hindu  

A. Arulsamy, an area councillor of Kodaikanal, was driving with his friends to visit the Murugan temple in the village of Poombarai on May 3, when his car was stopped and asked to turn back. Wind velocity and the enormous fuel load — in the form of layers of dry eucalyptus leaves accumulated on the ground over the years — helped spread the fire, fast and furiously. District Forest Officer Yogesh Kumar Meena, who spent three days and nights in the forest with his field staff, says, “During this fire incident, we learned that the best guides are our local staff and people. They know the way in and out.” Around 200 locals formed a human chain to transport water from the roadside deep into the forest, where no vehicles or heavy machinery could reach. Karvin Antony, an eco-watcher in Kodaikanal’s Forest Department and one of the men on-site, states that he has never witnessed a fire of such magnitude.

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History of this topic

Gadchiroli dist logs highest forest fires in the country
1 day, 21 hours ago

Gadchiroli dist logs highest forest fires in the country

Hindustan Times  

With 7,042 cases, Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra reported the highest number of forest fire incidents in the country. Meanwhile, with 16,008 similar occurrences reported between November 2023 and June 2024, Maharashtra ranks fifth among the states with the highest number of forest fire incidents reported. The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change recently published a report titled ‘India State …

Heatwave, dry conditions push Uttarakhand forest fires to new high
6 months ago

Heatwave, dry conditions push Uttarakhand forest fires to new high

Hindustan Times  

A combination of heatwave conditions, dry weather, and poorly equipped responders has led to a fivefold increase in major forest fires in Uttarakhand since January 1 this year, when compared to the corresponding period in 2023, data from the Forest Survey of India showed. According to state officials, 11 people have died in Uttarakhand forest fires that have ravaged at …

Fire in Uttarakhand’s Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary kills 4 forest dept staffers, 4 injured
6 months, 1 week ago

Fire in Uttarakhand’s Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary kills 4 forest dept staffers, 4 injured

Hindustan Times  

DEHRADUN: Four Uttarakhand forest department staffers died and four others were injured when the team was caught up in a raging forest fire in Almora district’s Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary. Parag Madhukar Dhakate, special secretary to the chief minister, said the incident took place at about 3:30pm in the Civil Soyam Forest Division of Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary. Uttarakhand has reported 1,213 …

Jammu’s green gold ravaged, wildlife tormented as fires rage
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Jammu’s green gold ravaged, wildlife tormented as fires rage

Hindustan Times  

Amid unprecedented heatwave conditions this summer, over 1,000 fire incidents have occurred in the past month across the Jammu region, ravaging the forest ecosystem, fire and emergency services officials said. The deputy director of the Jammu and Kashmir fire and emergency services department, RK Raina said, “Over 1,000 fire incidents have taken place in the past over a month across …

Frequent fires in U’khand break my heart, says Aspirants actor Abhilash Thapliyal
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Frequent fires in U’khand break my heart, says Aspirants actor Abhilash Thapliyal

Hindustan Times  

Actor Abhilash Thapliyal of late has been quite vocal about forest fire outbreaks in Uttarakhand. Actor Abhilash Thapliyal “It breaks my heart to see the way fire in Uttarakhand has become a regular affair for many years now. But still, there should be proper planning in place for the road map ahead as it’s not always that we should let …

J-K: Udhampur witnesses second forest fire in three days, timbre worth crores destroyed
6 months, 3 weeks ago

J-K: Udhampur witnesses second forest fire in three days, timbre worth crores destroyed

India TV News  

A massive forest fire erupted in the Gangera Hill area of Udhampur district on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir, causing widespread loss of lush green forest. Bharam Dutt Sharma, the block forest officer in Udhampur, said that the fire started early in the morning and that efforts to extinguish it were still underway. Another forest fire blazing in Udhampur The …

Uttarakhand wildfires flare up again after brief lull
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Uttarakhand wildfires flare up again after brief lull

The Hindu  

Forest fires have flared up again in various parts of Uttarakhand, with two major fire incidents in the Gauhari range of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve and the trek route to Nilkanth Mahadev temple in Rishikesh. The blaze that broke out in Gauhari range of the reserve on Thursday evening affected around 1.5 hectares of forest cover, Rajaji Reserve Director Saket …

Relying on rain in Uttarakhand
7 months, 1 week ago

Relying on rain in Uttarakhand

The Hindu  

It is like a national duty. “We haven’t had rainfall so far this year, so we are seeing continuous forest fires.” As in other states, most forest fires in Uttarakhand are anthropogenic or caused by human activity, he says. Anirudha says they have engaged close to 200 forest fire watchers, with a team of around 500 people to tackle forest …

Forest fires | Exploding bamboo in Karnataka; a WhatsApp firefighting group in Kerala
7 months, 1 week ago

Forest fires | Exploding bamboo in Karnataka; a WhatsApp firefighting group in Kerala

The Hindu  

“As the saying goes, where there’s smoke there’s fire,” says Ajoy Thipaiah, 61, the proprietor at Kerehaklu Estate, Chikmagalur. “Depending on the wind direction, we can predict the path of the fire, and we immediately alert the forest officials and our neighbours.” Thipaiah and his staff also head out armed with large, leafy branches to try and beat out smaller …

Uttarakhand Forest Fires: SC slams Uttarakhand’s approach in controlling forest fires, summons State’s Chief Secretary
7 months, 1 week ago

Uttarakhand Forest Fires: SC slams Uttarakhand’s approach in controlling forest fires, summons State’s Chief Secretary

The Hindu  

The Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to examine if the Uttarakhand government had adopted a “lackadaisical” approach to dousing forest fires which took innocent lives and destroyed forest cover in the ecologically fragile Himalayan slopes. Gavai has sought a response from the Uttarakhand Chief Secretary on the level of preparedness of the State in the face of forest fires, which …

Uttarakhand forest fires: 5 people dead, 1,300 hectares affected, says official
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Uttarakhand forest fires: 5 people dead, 1,300 hectares affected, says official

Hindustan Times  

Five people have lost their lives in the Uttarakhand forest fires, while 1,300 hectares have been affected, said head of forest force Dhananjay Mohan. Five people have lost their lives in the Uttarakhand forest fires, informed the state's Chief Conservator of Forest with an additional charge of Head of Forest Force Dhananjay Mohan. On Wednesday, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami …

U’khand Forest Force chief asks officials to address fire alerts on priority
7 months, 2 weeks ago

U’khand Forest Force chief asks officials to address fire alerts on priority

Hindustan Times  

Dehradun, With forest fires still raging in Uttarakhand, newly appointed Head of Forest Force Dhananjai Mohan on Saturday asked officials of the department to address all fire alerts on priority and reduce the response time. HT Image Uttarakhand reported 18 forest fire incidents on Saturday in which 21.86 hectares of forest land were gutted. Visibility around the airport and its …

Uttarakhand: Mosar Alam, Nazifar Alam, Nurul, Salim and Feroz Alam arrested for setting forests on fire
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Uttarakhand: Mosar Alam, Nazifar Alam, Nurul, Salim and Feroz Alam arrested for setting forests on fire

Op India  

The Northern state of Uttarakhand has been grappling with forest fires for the past two weeks, destroying over 1000 acres of forest area. Amid this, a video of a man surfaced on social media wherein he was seen boasting about setting fire to forests. Migrants from Bihar burn forest in Uttarakhand and say "We will burn down entire forest, dont …

Dousing the summer fire in Uttarakhand
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Dousing the summer fire in Uttarakhand

Hindustan Times  

Unusually high local temperatures and other natural factors have contributed to the massive forest fires in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon region. Forest fires typically shoot up in March-May, with the large buildup of dry foliage and other biomass during the preceding winter months getting exacerbated by the onset of the summer heat. While dousing operations are being conducted by Indian Air Force …

Uttarakhand burns, IAF steps in
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Uttarakhand burns, IAF steps in

New Indian Express  

DEHRADUN : With forest fires engulfing the Nanda range in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, the Centre deployed a Air Force helicopter on Saturday to control the blaze. Nainital Sub-Divisional Magistrate Pramod Kumar said, “The wildfire is spreading uncontrollably from the pine forests to the Lariyakanta forests. Efforts are on with the assistance of an IAF helicopter to extinguish it.” An …

Fires break out in wooded areas of Kadugodi and Jnanabharathi campus
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Fires break out in wooded areas of Kadugodi and Jnanabharathi campus

The Hindu  

As the mercury rises in the city, fires in wooded areas are becoming more commonplace. Fires broke out in the forest area of Jnanabharathi campus on Saturday and Sunday, even as a massive fire broke out in the open land of Container Corporation of India Limited covered with bushes and tall grass in Kadugodi on Sunday. Similarly, fires were reported …

Not all forest fires in Kodaikanal hills are accidental
9 months ago

Not all forest fires in Kodaikanal hills are accidental

The Hindu  

Of late, Perumalmalai, about 15 km downhill on the Kodaikanal - Batlagundu ghat road, gets covered under a thick blanket of smoke often. Villagers say that due to scanty rains in the last monsoon, shedding of leaves has started early and the forest floor is covered with dead leaves and with the undergrowth also drying up due to lack of …

No-snow results in high number of forest fires in Uttarakhand
11 months ago

No-snow results in high number of forest fires in Uttarakhand

New Indian Express  

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand has witnessed the highest number of forest fire cases in the country in 2024, with over 600 alerts issued. According to the forest department, Uttarakhand has experienced an unprecedented surge in forest fire alerts, with over 600 cases reported between January 9 and 16, marking the highest number in the country. Forest Range Officer Naval Kishore stated, “Our …

Forest fire resurfaces in Goa, brought under control
1 year, 8 months ago

Forest fire resurfaces in Goa, brought under control

The Hindu  

A fire erupted on a hill in the South Goa district, a month after fires destroyed forests at multiple locations in the coastal State including the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, a senior official said on April 10. The fire was witnessed on Sunday night at Korpa Dongor, a hill near Canacona town in South Goa, the forest department official said, adding …

Forest Fires Run Wild in Himachal Pradesh with Summer Coming Early amid A Lengthy Dry Spell
2 years, 7 months ago

Forest Fires Run Wild in Himachal Pradesh with Summer Coming Early amid A Lengthy Dry Spell

News 18  

With the mercury shooting up and a prolonged dry spell, Himachal Pradesh is witnessing an alarming increase in the number of forest fires, causing losses worth crores of rupees. The forest fires have so far affected an area of 4,000 hectares and the forest department has pegged the damage at over a crore rupees. Even though the forest department has …

Forest fires break out in J&K and Uttarakhand | Video
2 years, 7 months ago

Forest fires break out in J&K and Uttarakhand | Video

Hindustan Times  

Massive forest fires were reported from Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand in the last 24 hours. Visuals of fire in Uttarakhand shared by news agency ANI, A fire broke out in the Gangara Hills forest of Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur on Monday, news agency ANI reported. A team of forest personnel, tehsildar, the revenue sub-inspector, and the disaster management officer …

Lack of strategy impedes fight against forest fires
3 years, 8 months ago

Lack of strategy impedes fight against forest fires

Hindustan Times  

At least 85 forest fires are raging in Uttarakhand, and have destroyed 165 acres of land in the past 24 hours to 48 hours, forcing the state to seek the Centre’s intervention — two helicopters of the Indian Air Force were pressed into service Monday, and they flew several sorties to spray water over the fires — even as it …

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