Forest Fires Continue To Rage In Jammu & Kashmir: VIDEO

A massive forest fire erupted in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda. The region has experienced 326 forest fire alerts in the past three years, with 75 recorded in the past week.

An AI image of a forest fire.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

A huge forest fire engulfed Jammu and Kashmir's Chenab Valley in the Doda district on Tuesday. Visuals from the region showed huge flames burning the forest. Officials are trying to find the cause of the fire. Earlier on Monday, a forest area near Gandoh Bhalessa village in Jammu and Kashmir was engulfed by flames.

#WATCH | Doda, J&K: Massive forest fire breaks out in Chenab valley pic.twitter.com/gGSFoDDivr

— ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2024

Doda Lost 91 Hectares Forest To Fires In 23 Years

Forest fires are a major menace in Jammu and Kashmir. According to Global Forest Watch, Doda lost 91 hectares of tree cover to fires between 2001 and 2023. During this period, Doda lost 22% of its forest cover to fires. Doda's biggest loss to fires was in 2004 when it lost 26 hectares to fires. This was nearly 31% of the total tree cover loss that year.

Doda generated 326 fire alerts between December 20, 2021, and December 16, 2024. The global forest cover monitor said that between December 10 and 17, Doda recorded a total of 75 fire alerts.

Jammu and Kashmir's Fire Menace

Jammu and Kashmir's peak forest fire season is usually in March and continues for about three months. Between 2001 and 2023, Jammu and Kashmir lost a total of 952 hectares of tree cover to fires. Almost 24% of its total loss of all tree cover was in 2004 when it lost 240 hectares to forest fires.