Jammu, February 13 The Jammu and Kashmir government stated on Thursday that the Jammu region has experienced over 1,760 instances of forest fires since the fiscal year 2023-24, up to January 2026, affecting over 4,100 hectares.
According to official data released by the forest and environment department, a total of 1,763 fire incidents were reported across 19 forest divisions in the Jammu region, involving 4,195.24 hectares of forest land during the period.
According to the data, a total of 281 fire incidents were reported during 2023-24, affecting approximately 371.49 hectares. The number increased significantly in 2024-25, with 1,135 fire cases recorded, affecting around 3,154.90 hectares across the region.
Up to the end of January 2026, 419 fire incidents have already been reported during the ongoing financial year, with an affected area of about 668.85 hectares.
The data indicates that the East Jammu division recorded the highest number of incidents in 2024-25, with 488 cases affecting nearly 1,786.56 hectares, followed by the West Jammu division with 326 cases over 875.03 hectares, and the Chenab division with 321 cases impacting 493.31 hectares.
In 2025-26 so far, the West Jammu division has emerged as the most affected, reporting 171 cases involving around 331.95 hectares, followed by East Jammu with 98 cases over 147.7 hectares, and the Chenab division with 150 cases affecting 189.2 hectares, the data said.
Among individual divisions, Jammu, Udhampur, Ramban, Batote, Reasi, and Rajouri consistently reported a high number of incidents during the period under review, while areas such as Samba, Billawar, and NHIA Batote reported comparatively fewer cases.
The government stated that the data highlights the growing challenge of fire incidents in the Jammu region and emphasizes the need for strengthened preventive measures, improved monitoring, and faster response mechanisms to minimize damage to forests and property.