More than 2,000 people are battling to extinguish a forest fire
that's been raging near a tourist resort in east China's Anhui Province since Wednesday night and two
fire fighters have been injured.
The fire broke out at about 11:00 PM on Tuesday in bushes on a
mountain close to the Tiantangzhai tourist resort in western
Anhui's Jinzhai County. It was thought to have been extinguished at
about 9:00 AM on Wednesday.
But the fire flared up again at 11:00 PM the following day and
spread to the forest on the 1,600-meter-high Baima Peak inside
Tiantangzhai, said ZhangZuofang, deputy head of the local rescue
team. More than 2,000 fire fighters, soldiers and militia are
battling the blaze, he said.
Smoke was seen above the Baima Peak Thursday afternoon and
hundreds of soldiers rushed to the fire scene with shovels and wet
towels around their necks. To date the fire has been controlled
within the Baima Peak area and didn't spread to other areas, Zhang
said.
"But it's difficult to put out the fire completely," Zhang said.
He explained the ground was covered with thick layers of decayed
vegetation where the fire could smolder when the wind blew. The
steep cliffs and rugged terrain made it difficult for firefighters
to access the area, he said. Two fire fighters were injured and
have been hospitalized but they're not in serious condition, added
Zhang.
Tiantangzhai is a national forest park, a state-level nature
reserve and a tourist resort. It's commonly known as "the last
piece of virgin forest in eastern China".
(China.org.cn, Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2006)
