Forest and Hill Fires in India: Why They Start and How to Stay Safe

Every year in the hot, dry months, the hills around our cities start to burn. Dry grass on a slope catches fire, the wind pushes it uphill, and by evening there is a line of orange on the hillside and smoke over the houses below. Most of these fires are started by people.

What the numbers show

In Pune, the fire department registered 54 forest fire cases in January 2025. The count then jumped: 141 in February and 128 in March, for a total of 323 cases by late March, according to a Pune Pulse report of 22 March 2025. Officials blamed soaring temperatures and vegetation that dried out early, and pointed to overgrown private land where dry grass and bushes are never cleared.

Across India, the picture is mixed. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) watches for forest fires with satellites. According to the India State of Forest Report 2023, it recorded 2,03,544 fire hotspots in the 2023-24 fire season, down from 2,23,333 in 2021-22. So the national count fell over that period, even as some cities, Pune among them, saw a sharp local rise in 2025.

A fall in hotspots is welcome, but two lakh detections in a single season is still an enormous number of fires, and each one burns forest, harms wildlife and sends smoke towards people’s homes.

Why forest fires start

• Dry weather. After the monsoon, grass and leaf litter dry out through winter and spring. A hot, windy spell makes them burn fast.
• People. A burning bidi or cigarette thrown from a vehicle, a picnic fire left smouldering, farmers burning stubble or old grass, rubbish fires, and sometimes fires set deliberately.
• Neglected land. Uncleared dry grass on private plots and hill slopes near houses gives a fire a ready path.

Why it matters to you

• Your health. Smoke and fine particles make the air worse. Children, older people and anyone with asthma or heart or lung disease feel it first.
• Your home. Houses, sheds and vehicles at the edge of a hill or forest can catch fire from sparks and burning grass.
• Livelihoods. Many families near forests depend on them for fuelwood, fodder and minor forest produce.
• Nature. Fires kill small animals, birds’ nests and young trees, and release stored carbon into the air.

What can be done

• Early warning. FSI’s satellite-based forest fire alert system sends alerts to forest staff and registered users by SMS and email. Forest departments should act on every alert quickly.
• Clearing fuel. Forest departments cut fire lines and clear dry undergrowth before the fire season. Owners of private plots near hills should clear dry grass and bushes too.
• Local people. Villagers and joint forest management committees are often the first to see a fire. Training and simple tools for them make a real difference.
• Enforcement. Setting fire to forest land is an offence under forest law. People who start fires carelessly or on purpose should face action.

If you live near a hill or forest

• Clear dry grass, leaves and rubbish from around your house, compound wall and vehicles.
• Never burn rubbish or dry grass in the dry season, and never leave a fire unattended.
• Do not throw bidis, cigarettes or matches on the ground or out of a vehicle.
• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose ready in summer.
• On smoky days, keep children and elderly family members indoors with windows closed.

If you see a forest or hill fire

• Call 112 or 101 and tell them exactly where it is. Also inform the local forest office if you know it.
• Do not try to fight a fire on a slope. Fire runs uphill much faster than you can.
• Move away downhill and across the slope, away from the wind direction, towards a road, water or open ground.
• If you are trekking, turn back the way you came if it is clear of fire.

This weekend, look at the empty plot or slope nearest your home. If it is full of dry grass, ask the owner, your society or the local body to clear it before the hot months.