(TibetanReview.net, Mar23’24) — The forest fire that erupted on Mar 15 evening and immediately swept through Nyagchu (Chinese: Yajiang) County of Kardze (Ganzi or Garze) prefecture, Sichuan Province, is still smouldering and it started from a construction site, reported China’s official chinadaily.com.cn Mar 22.
The fire, the report said, citing the prefecture’s emergency management bureau, was caused by the use of a fire at a construction site. However, no construction site has been specified and there is no information on how it started and went out of control.
The fire it may be recalled,first erupted in Petse (Baizi) Village and rapidly spread to other areas due to sudden increases in wind speed. While no casualties or damage to infrastructure have been reported thus far, China’s official Xinhua news agency earlier said Mar 17 that in the nearby Jiaonibao Village, 21 houses were burned.
A total of 5,908 villagers belonging to 1,360 families in two Towns and one Township were reported to have been evacuated as a safety measure.
While the fire was put out on Mar 18 from the first of the three sections it had spread to, it is still smouldering in the remaining two. As of 6 am on Mar 22, the third section had no open flames and only sporadic smoke spots, the report said.
The second section had intermittent fire lines, two large fire points and two smoke points, the report added, citing the prefecture’s forest and grassland prevention and control command.
There is no highway at the site of the Yajiang fire, and the mountain slope is between 70 and 80 degrees. In many cases, firefighters have to carry materials on their backs, the report said.