Model Answer

The recent wildfires in France, which forced the evacuation of over 2.5 lakh people and generated rare pyrocumulonimbus (firestorm) clouds, underscore how climate change is transforming wildfires into high-impact disasters. India too is witnessing a rise in forest fires, particularly in the Himalayan and central Indian regions.

Factors responsible for increasing wildfires

1. Climate change has intensified heatwaves, prolonged droughts and reduced soil moisture, making forests highly combustible.
2. Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall have lengthened the wildfire season. e.g.: Europe's record 2026 wildfire season.
3. Human activities such as shifting cultivation, negligence, tourism and deliberate burning continue to trigger a majority of forest fires.
4. Accumulation of dry biomass and forest fuel accelerates the spread and intensity of fires.
5. Extreme fire behaviour, including firestorms and pyrocumulonimbus clouds, makes suppression increasingly difficult. e.g.: The France wildfire generated lightning that ignited fresh fires.
6. Urban expansion into forested landscapes increases risks to human settlements and critical infrastructure.
7. Inadequate early warning and firefighting capacity, particularly in remote forest areas, delays response.

Measures for strengthening wildfire disaster management

1. Develop AI-enabled early warning systems using satellite imagery, drones and real-time weather data.
2. Create scientific forest fuel management through controlled burning, fire lines and biomass removal.
3. Strengthen community-based forest fire management by empowering Joint Forest Management Committees and local volunteers.
4. Enhance specialised firefighting infrastructure, including aerial firefighting capabilities and modern equipment.
5. Integrate wildfire risk into disaster management and climate adaptation plans under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
6. Improve inter-agency coordination among the Forest Department, NDMA, IMD and State Disaster Management Authorities.

Wildfires are no longer seasonal forest events but climate-induced disasters with far-reaching ecological, economic and humanitarian consequences. Building resilience requires shifting from reactive firefighting to proactive risk reduction through technology, ecosystem management and climate adaptation.