Inner Mongolia Forest Fire (Photo : Getty Images)
A second Inner Mongolia forest fire broke out on Tuesday at 12:15 in the afternoon. On the same day, a cross-border fire from Russia was put out.
The fire broke out in the Beidahe Forest, China’s largest forest located in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
According to regional fire authorities, more than 8,300 firefighters, 2,590 of whom are armed police officers, have joined in an effort to extinguish the fire.
The fire has consumed about 50 square kilometers of the forest by press time. The firefighters and 12 helicopters have been deployed in the area.
The fire authorities said in an official statement that strong winds, mountainous terrain, and dry vegetation made it “extremely difficult” for them to extinguish the fire.
According to State Forest Fire Prevention Headquarters, ashes and other residues from a fire improperly disposed of by a stoker working at a forestry station are believed to have caused the blaze. The suspect is now detained.
Over the next 10 days, the risk of forest fires in China may escalate because of an anticipated increase in temperatures across the country, Wang Haizhong, deputy director of the general office of the headquarters said.
In an interview with the Xinhua News Agency, Wang was quoted as saying that China’s investment in forest fire protection is delayed compared with those of other developed countries.
The fire prevention expenditure in some poorly prepared western provinces was less than 10 cents per hectare of forest, relatively smaller compared with the spending of the United States and Canada that can reach $2 per hectare.
This spring the temperature in Inner Mongolia is higher than in the past years, posing a greater risk of forest fire in the region.
On Sunday, a cross-border fire broke out in another area. The fire was extinguished two days later and clearing out operations are in progress.
The firefighters hope that the Inner Mongolia forest fire does not leave serious damages to the region.
