UPSC Issue at a Glance | What to know about Wildfires: 4 key questions answered for your UPSC Exams

A new fire erupted in Southern California on Monday (January 13) night, adding to a string of fires that have been torching the region since last week. The blazes have killed at least 25 people, put hundreds and thousands under evacuation orders, and charred more than 40,000 acres of land. Notably, the wildfires that continue to rage in Southern California have gusted up to 112 km/h in some areas.

Why is this issue relevant?

Wildfires are a critical topic for UPSC CSE, linking environment, climate change, disaster management, and biodiversity. Thus, understanding the causes, impacts, and mitigation strategies becomes crucial.

UPSC Syllabus: 

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance, General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change- that do not require subject specialisation.

Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment, disaster management.

Question 1: What are the causes of the wildfires occurring in Southern California? 

A series of wildfires in Southern California have destroyed homes and businesses, leaving cities and roads engulfed in smoke. Although this is not the annual wildfire season in this part of the United States at least five massive fires were burning to the north, east, and west of the Los Angeles area. 

The Palisades fire, the largest and most destructive of the recent blazes, has destroyed over 20,000 acres in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood to the west of Los Angeles as of January 12th. The next biggest fire, the Eaton Fire, is burning to the east of Los Angeles and has consumed 15,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Pasadena.  Additionally, the Hurst fire, the Lidia fire, and another fire that broke out in LA’s West Hills neighbourhood have each burnt between 300 and 1,000 acres so far.

It is not yet known what sparked the wildfires, although power cables blowing in the wind are a likely cause. Experts believe that the rapid spread and extensive damage caused by the wildfires in Southern California can be attributed to two three factors: “Santa Ana” winds and climate change.

According to the US Forest Service, nearly 85% of all forest fires in the United States are started by humans, either intentionally or unintentionally.

1. Santa Ana Winds: These winds  are a natural part of California’s climate pattern and normally blow from October to January. These winds blow when high pressure builds over the Great Basin (region located between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada) while a low-pressure system develops over California’s coast. The difference in pressure creates strong winds that blow from the inland deserts of the Basin toward the east and north of Southern California, ultimately moving towards the Pacific Ocean.

As the wind descends the mountains, it compresses and heats up. The wind also reduces humidity, sometimes to less than 10%. The abnormally low moisture level dries up vegetation, preparing it for burning. This contributed to the  wildfires in southern California.

2. Climate Change: Across the world, climate change is making extreme weather events more devastating. As The Indian Express has earlier explained, “Experts say the wildfire season in California has lengthened in recent years. For instance, a 2021 study, published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, found that the state’s annual burn season has lengthened in the past two decades and that the yearly peak has shifted from August to July. The wildfires have also become more intense in the past few years… Rise in global temperatures over the years has led to warmer springs and summers, and early spring snow melts. Such conditions cumulatively cause longer and more intense dry seasons, putting more moisture stress on vegetation.”

Alind Chauhan writes- “California experienced its hottest ever June and July, and the second hottest October in 2024. Much of Southern California has had no rain since July, even though half the normal rainy season has already passed. This is the second driest spell in the region in 150 years. The excessive heat and absence of rain had already turned the vegetation very dry when the Santa Ana began to blow, making the forests even drier and vulnerable to fires.”

Firefighters watch as water is dropped on the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. (Image: AP)

Although the cause of these wildfires has yet to be determined, it can be said that climatic patterns have, to some extent, contributed to this devastating wildfire.

Given that this recent incident has brought the issue of forest fires to the headlines, isn’t it crucial to understand how frequently such incidents occur in India and what contributes to them?

2. How frequent are forest fires in India, and what are some of the contributing factors?

According to the Forest Survey of India (FSI), nearly 36% of India’s forests are prone to frequent fires.

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The forest fire season in India typically lasts from November to June. Higher incidents of fires are reported in March, April, and May, largely due to the abundance of dry biomass following the winter months and the onset of the summer season.

Several factors contribute to the scale and frequency of these fires, including temperature, precipitation, vegetation, and moisture levels. Experts identify three key factors that facilitate the spread of forest fires: fuel load, oxygen, and temperature. Dry leaves serve as fuel for these fires.

The FSI states, “Severe fires occur in many forest types particularly dry deciduous forest, while evergreen, semi-evergreen and montane temperate forests are comparatively less prone (India State of Forest Report 2015)… Nearly 4% of the country’s forest cover is extremely prone to fire, whereas 6% of forest cover is found to be very highly fire prone (ISFR 2019).”

An FSI analysis in ISFR 2021 also found that states in northeastern India showed the highest tendency for forest fires. Parts of western Maharashtra, southern Chhattisgarh, central Odisha and regions in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka also showed patches of extremely and very highly fire-prone zones.

Causes Behind Forest Fires

📍The rise in temperatures has led to more frequent and intense extreme weather events globally, including heat waves, droughts, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires. Additionally, extreme heat contributes to wildfire conditions by evaporating moisture from the land, resulting in a longer wildfire season.

📍Many fires are considered man-made due to agricultural changes and unchecked land-use practices.

📍Friction between electrical cables and dry leaves can also cause wildfires, as can lightning, according to the report.

Thus, we can say that changes in climate, land use, land management practices, and population are increasing the risk of wildfires, making more regions vulnerable to fires that were not previously affected.

3. What impacts do wildfires have?

Every year, wildfires significantly impact the environment, wildlife, human lives and infrastructure. It also have widespread and long-lasting effects on social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Here are the some impacts of wildfires:

1. Impact on Health and Environment: As wildfires become more frequent, it is crucial to understand the health effects of exposure to wildfire smoke. The World Health Organization states that wildfire smoke contains a mixture of hazardous air pollutants, including PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone, aromatic hydrocarbons, and lead. These pollutants can cause significant health problems.

PM2.5 from wildfire smoke is associated with premature deaths in the general population, and can cause and exacerbate diseases of the lungs, heart, brain/nervous system, skin, gut, kidney, eyes, nose and liver.- WHO

In addition to contaminating the air with these toxic pollutants, wildfires also significantly impact the climate by releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Wildfires impact various biomes, including forests, savannahs, grasslands, and tundra. Each year, more than 370 million hectares of land are burned globally, releasing over 1.8 billion tons of greenhouse gases.

A yellow fire hydrant stands in the ruins of a devastated home, as the Eaton Fire continues, in Altadena, California. (Reuters Photo)

2. Economic Impact:  The destruction of vegetated and populated areas, along with construction sites due to wildfires, can result in significant ecological and economic losses.

For example, the cost of damages caused by wildfires in Southern California have mounted up to $150 billion dollars, making it the costliest wildfire so far, and the third costliest natural disaster in the USA’s history after Hurricane Harvey ($160 billion) and Hurricane Katrina ($201 billion). So far, over 12,000 structures have been burned down across approximately 40,000 acres. This fact clearly demonstrates the significant economic impact that wildfires can have.

Notably, the recognized costs of wildfires typically focus on direct economic consequences in the public sector. These include expenses related to fire suppression, insurance claims, loss of property, and, most importantly, the tragic loss of lives.

A Pacific Palisades neighborhood in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire – the most severe of the California wildfires. (AP/PTI)

3. Impact on sustainable development: In addition to the loss of life, homes, and animals, the increasing scale of wildfires globally poses significant risks to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Such as:

(a) Risk to SDG 3 (Good health and well-being): Wildfires release harmful pollutants including particulate matter and toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and non-methane organic compounds into the atmosphere. Wildfires can cause displacement, stress and anguish to people who have to flee them, beyond those who suffer direct impacts.

(b) Risk to SDG 5 (Gender equality): Women and girls, especially in developing countries, tend to be more at risk during disasters such as megafires. According to UNDP, the poor are likely to live under circumstances that make them less likely to survive and recover from a disaster event. Studies have shown that disaster fatality rates are much higher for women than for men due, in large part, to gendered differences in capacity to cope with such events and insufficient access to information and early warnings.

(c) Risk to SDG 9 (Industry, innovation, and infrastructure): When wildfires spread to urban or semi-urban areas, they can damage infrastructure such as power lines, mobile phone masts, and homes. Rebuilding may be costly or time-consuming.

Can you identify other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are challenged by wildfires? Interestingly, wildfires also present risk to the SDG 1 (No poverty), SDG 2 (Zero hunger) , SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation), SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production),  SDG  13 (Climate action), and  SDG 15 (Life on land).

Thus, we can see that failing to control wildfires threatens the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and other development objectives. In this context, taking the right measures to restore our ecosystems and transform them from fire-prone areas into resilient habitats becomes crucial.

4. What measures can be taken to mitigate and manage wildfires?

In the last few years, the world has seen a drastic shift in wildfire regimes, with more intense and frequent wildfires affecting large areas of land.- UN Environment Programme

The impact of wildfires on people and the environment can be lessened through the implementation of effective emergency prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery measures in a timely and sustainable way.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) outlines several methods to prevent and control forest fires, including the construction of watchtowers for early detection, the deployment of fire watchers, the involvement of local communities, and the creation and maintenance of fire lines.

Investing in preventive mitigation steps, such as installing a spark arrestor on chimney, cleaning the roof surfaces and gutters regularly and using only fire-resistant materials on the exterior of home, will help reduce the impact of wildland fires in the future.- UN SPIDER

Various departments have already taken steps to control wildfires, and these measures need to be implemented effectively. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) website, the Forest Departments of different states and union territories (UTs) in India develop and maintain fire lines to prevent the spread of forest fires. There are two types of fire lines in practice: Kachha (covered) fire lines and Pucca (open) fire lines. Kachha fire lines involve the removal of undergrowth and shrubs while retaining trees to reduce fuel load. In contrast, Pucca fire lines are cleared areas that separate one forest compartment or block from another, helping to contain potential fires.

The Forest Survey of India (FSI) website states, “Satellite-based remote sensing technology and GIS tools have been effective in improving fire prevention and management. These technologies enable early warnings for fire-prone areas, real-time monitoring of fires, and the estimation of burnt scars.”

Moreover, effective local governance is crucial for mitigating the  wildfires which is essential in many parts of the world, including India.

Post Read Questions

Prelims
(1) Consider the following: (UPSC CSE 2019)

1. Carbon monoxide

2. Methane

3. Ozone

4. Sulphur dioxide

Which of the above are released into atmosphere due to the burning of crop/biomass residue? 

(a) 1 and 2 only 

(b) 2, 3 and 4 only 

(c) 1 and 4 only 

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

 

(2) Consider the following statements with reference to the Santa Ana winds:

1. Santa Ana winds blow when high pressure rises over the Great Basin.

2. These winds usually occur from October to January.

3. These winds fueled the wildfires in Southern California.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Mains

(1) What are the reasons for the increase in frequency of forest fires in India? Discuss how climate change adds to the risk of forest fire.

(2) How far Anthropogenic activities are responsible for forest fires? What necessary steps need to be taken to avoid this?

(Sources: Southern California wildfires 2025,  ‘Santa Ana’ winds and climate change: What is behind wildfires blazing in Southern California?, How are forest fires caused and how frequent are they in India?, who.int, unep.org)

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