This article was originally published in the March 16-31, 2026 print edition of Down To Earth. Subscribe now for exclusive visual analysis of Himalayan forest fires
A story of fire and ice is unfolding across the higher reaches of the Indian Himalayas. Across the range, from the western to eastern Himalayas, they are now climbing to elevations previously thought immune, while also growing in frequency and intensity.
Analysis of satellite data by Down To Earth (DTE) shows that over the past decade forest fires in high-elevation areas in the western Himalayas have quadrupled. DTE examined fire trends during the active fire season, which typically runs from November 1 to June 1. In 2013-14, satellite monitoring recorded 514 fires at 2,500 metres (m) and above. By 2025-26 fire season, the number climbed to 1,988.
Similar patterns appear along much of the Himalayan arc, where studies have documented a notable upward shift in fire activity since 2001, when continuous satellite-based fire observations became available. One study, published in Natural Hazards by researchers from Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology in Palampur, notes “a significant increase of forest fires towards higher elevation.”
Historically, most Himalayan forest fires occurred below 2,000 m, where near-surface temperatures are comparatively higher and human activity more prevalent, explains Somnath Bar, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Irvine, who studies Himalayan forest fires. But the pattern is changing. “Our satellite-based observations have detected fire events at higher elevations, ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 m across the Himalayas,” Bar says.
Vishwambhar Prasad Sati, a senior professor of geography at Mizoram University in Aizawl, agrees that fires are no longer confined to lower slopes. In the central and eastern Himalayas, they have traditionally been rare above 2,800-3,000 m. Instead, fires have typically occurred in lower-altitude forests (below 1,000 m and between 1,000 and 2,600 m), particularly in sal and chir pine forests. But the fires, Sati says, can now be traced to around 3,000 m. High-elevation fires tend to be intense. According to Bar, they are often “massive or high-energy events”, likely fuelled by large accumulations of dry biomass in areas where fire suppression and management are limited.
Recent events in the eastern Himalayas illustrate the shift. Forest fires escalated sharply in January and February in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Analysis by DTE shows that during the week of February 13-19 alone, Arunachal Pradesh recorded nearly 200 times more fire incidents than during the same period a year earlier. Some fires occurred at unusually high elevations, forcing the Indian Air Force to conduct firefighting operations at altitudes of about 2,900 m.
The rising number of fires is reflected in the expanding burn area. In the western Himalayas, the total burned area increased by 73 sq km between 2001 and 2019, according to a 2021 study …