Dehradun, June 11 -- The Badrinath forest division has reported 111 forest fire incidents since the beginning of the fire season, accounting for 19.6% of the 566 forest fire incidents recorded across Uttarakhand during the period, according to forest department data. The remaining 455 incidents were reported from other forest and wildlife divisions in the state. The total area affected by forest fires in the Badrinath forest division stands at 57.44 hectares. The division has reported the highest number of fire incidents in the state this season, followed by the Kedarnath Wildlife Division with 52 incidents, Pithoragarh Forest Division with 43, New Tehri Forest Division with 35 and Uttarkashi Forest Division with 29 incidents. Forest department officials said the unusually high number of fire incidents reported from the Badrinath division, as well as other higher-altitude forest areas, would be examined after the fire season concludes. Chief Conservator of Forests and state nodal officer for forest fires, Sushant Patnaik, said the department's immediate focus remains on controlling and extinguishing active fires. "Our priority is to deal with forest fires. Once the fire season is over, we will analyse all aspects, including the reasons behind the higher number of incidents reported from particular divisions and the prevailing conditions in those areas," Patnaik said. In May, forest minister Subodh Uniyal said the state government was working on a plan to utilise roads as additional fire lines to strengthen forest fire prevention and control measures. "We are working on a plan to use roads as fire lines, apart from the existing fire lines. We have thousands of kilometres of roads. In my assembly constituency alone, there are around 3,500 km of roads," Uniyal had said. Forest fires in Uttarakhand generally occur between February and June, with incidents peaking during May and June when rising temperatures and prolonged dry spells create favourable conditions for fires. Such incidents affect biodiversity, damage soil microorganisms and wildlife habitats, and impact communities living in and around forest areas....