COLOMBO – Ella, one of Sri Lanka’s most popular tourist destinations, draws scores of foreign visitors who come to admire its natural beauty and marvel at engineering wonders like the famous nine-arched bridge, also known as the “Bridge in the Sky.” But in February, those visitors witnessed a very different scene — not the lush greenery they expected, but massive flames of orange and red engulfing the hills around Ella. For several days, a forest fire raged through the Ella Forest Reserve, turning a scenic paradise into a zone of destruction. “Sri Lanka experiences two peak wildfire seasons — from February to March and again from July to August. We usually prepare for these periods, but this year, the dry season started earlier than usual, catching us off-guard,” said Wasantha Gajanayake, conservator of forests and head of biodiversity and watershed conservation at the Department of Forest Conservation. In just the first two months of 2025, Sri Lanka recorded more than 40 small- and large-scale forest fires, according to Gajanayake. The fire in Ravana Ella Sanctuary alone destroyed more than 242 hectares (598 acres) of forest — a critical habitat for numerous plant and animal species. A lot of human power is required to douse a forest fire. Image shows airmen trying to douse a fire in Ella Forest in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. Image courtesy of the Sri Lanka Air Force. Increasing wildfires Forest fires are a growing concern in Sri Lanka. Though not as frequent or massive…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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