30 firefighters died while fighting forest fire
A "giant fireball" erupted, trapping firefighters in the blaze and unable to escape.
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A forest fire in Liangshan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, seen from a distance. Photo:Weibo. |
Thirty firefighters were reported missing yesterday while battling a forest fire in a remote mountainous area of Liangshan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China.
Chinese state media said the firefighters died after becoming trapped in the blaze, with a sudden change in wind creating a “huge fireball” that left them unable to escape and lost contact with other rescuers.
The bodies of all 30 firefighters killed have been recovered, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management said. As of Tuesday evening, the fire was still not under control and efforts to extinguish it were continuing.
The forest fire occurred in a mountainous area at an altitude of 3,800 m, making transportation and communication difficult. Two military helicopters were dispatched to the scene to assist in the rescue work.
China has been hit by a series of forest fires in recent days. In Shanxi Province, a fire broke out on the afternoon of March 29 and burned down nearly 3,000 hectares of forest. On March 30, in Miyun District, a suburb of Beijing, a fire also burned down 50 hectares of forest, forcing authorities to mobilize 2,000 rescue workers and firefighters to deal with the situation.
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