4 killed in separate Yunnan forest fires
LOCAL authorities in southwest China’s Yunnan Province reported yesterday that four people have died in forest fires in two separate incidents.
Three people died when a forest fire broke out in Douge Village in Lincang City at about 6:10pm on Saturday. The blaze engulfed an area of approximately 5.33 hectares, said the local publicity department.
Another person was killed in a forest fire that broke out in Wenshan City on Friday, according to the municipal publicity department.
Both fires have been extinguished.
Meanwhile, another forest fire broke out in neighboring Sichuan Province on Friday, officials said.
A total of 3,396 residents had been evacuated due to safety concerns as of 8pm yesterday after the forest fire broke out, according to the emergency response headquarters under the provincial public security department.
The fire erupted in Baizi Village in Yajiang County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, at around 5pm on Friday. Due to sudden increases in wind speed, it rapidly spread to other areas, officials said.
In nearby Jiaonibao Village, the fire has turned less fierce, although heavy smoke is visible. Twenty-one houses in the village were gutted, and about 70 villagers had been relocated.
Eight helicopters had been deployed to put out the blaze. Over 1,900 individuals have been dispatched to combat the forest fire, and an additional 890 are rushing to the site, according to Kang Bin, head of the emergency management bureau of Garze.
So far, no casualties have been reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.