Inner Mongolia fire spreads to Heilongjiang
A fire that broke out in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region’s Hanma National Nature Reserve on Friday has spread to neighboring Heilongjiang province, the region’s fire authorities said on Monday.
The Hanma reserve covers more than 1,000 square kilometers on the northern part of the Greater Hinggan Mountains’ west slope, with its forest coverage reaching 94.8 percent.
Gao Feixiang, a member of Greater Hinggan’s fire brigade, said: “Over 600 soldiers and firefighters, with 400-plus members from our brigade, are battling the fire at the reserve, while more than 1,000 police and firefighters are on their way.
“The fire was possibly caused by lightning strikes. The Hanma nature reserve is extremely rich in mineral resources and a lightning strike may spark a flame if it strikes these minerals.”
Inner Mongolia’s Meteorological Bureau said rainmaking will be tried, if necessary, to help put out the fire.
The fire started around 5 pm on Friday and ripped through the reserve due to strong winds and high temperatures.
The region’s fire authorities said it was under control on Sunday morning but worsened in the afternoon, with strong winds helping to spread it to Heilongjiang.
Another fire that started at the nearby Abkhai forest farm at 10 am on Saturday was put out around 11 pm on Sunday, the local fire authorities said.
“More than 300 members of our brigade are still inspecting materials that could possibly trigger fires at the farm,” Gao said.
Temperatures as high as 35 C have been reported in the Greater Hinggan Mountains since March, much hotter than in past years. There have also been more thunderstorms, increasing the fire risk in forest regions.