Uttarakhand forest fire: Images and videos on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #PrayforUttarakhand have been surfacing from different parts of Uttarakhand since reports came in of massive wildfires. Forest fires are known to happen every year during the summer months and the heatwave in North India is making it worse. In 2016, between April and May nearly 4,048 hectares of land were burnt down due to the wildfires.

According to a TOI report, so far, an estimated 51.34 hectares of land have been destroyed so far in the fire. There have been 46 incidents of fire reported so far, 21 in the Kumaon region, 16 in the Garhwal region, and 9 in the reserved forest region. The forest land is also home to many species of birds and animals which are in grave danger during such forest fires.

Anita Kunwar, a forest officer told ANI talked about the fire which broke out in Pauri Garhwal in the Srinagar district, “5-6 hectares of forest have been affected. The fire could not be controlled due to the winds. More teams will be called to extinguish it.” The forest department said that the fire broke out 3 km away from Srinagar district.

Many of the images shared on social media are from previous fires, however, the fire has been spreading for 4 days.

Uttarakhand has nearly 34,666 km sq of forested area, which makes for 65% of the land of the entire state. The area is known for many rare species of flora and fauna hence, it is the perfect setting for many National parks and reserves to make sure that these plants and animals are well protected. Many have been sharing the news in social media and #SaveTheHimalayas is now trending on Twitter.


People have shown their concern for the flora and fauna in the area that will get affected by the fire.