(Baonghean.vn) - In 3 months, more than 20 fires occurred without clear causes, causing great panic among the people of Luan Phuong hamlet, Dong Van commune (Thanh Chuong). Fires have become a haunting fear, so families in the hamlet have had to find appropriate ways to cope.
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| 21 fires within 3 months in Luan Phuong hamlet burned down many things: houses, cow and buffalo barns, straw houses..., but straw was the thing that was attacked the most by the "fire lady", causing farmers to lose sleep, not daring to go anywhere during the day, and keeping the lights on all night to keep watch. Children in Luan Phuong hamlet who work or go to school far away are also not at ease. |
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| Households with thatched houses, although built on all sides except for a small door, are still careful, always have buckets, basins, water taps, and iron rakes nearby, ready to put out fires. |
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| The houses built outdoors without any cover have been living in constant fear since the fire. Many houses have water hoses attached to the straw, and when they hear the sound of fire, they turn off the water pump. |
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| Some careful households regularly spray water on the straw. According to the people here, doing so makes them feel more secure, because the straw in the gardens of some houses still burns in the rain. |
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| Mrs. Le Thi Thu's family took all flammable things such as firewood, rice husks, corn husks... from the buffalo pen down and covered them with tarps in the garden to prevent a buffalo pen fire. |
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| Many households use metal boats to scoop water, fill it up, and place it next to haystacks for months to prevent fire. |
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| Many houses have 2 or 3 straw bales in one place, or build straw bales near the road or gate, and have organized to move each straw bale to different locations or move it to more private places. In the photo, Mr. Nguyen Van Ha's family is cutting down an old tree in the corner of the garden to make room to move the straw bales outside the gate. |
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| Many families in the village, fearing that the straw would burn and there would be no more food for their cattle, have moved most of their existing straw to deposit at the homes of their brothers in the commune. In the photo are carts of straw ready to be sent to deposit. |
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| Since the fire, some households in the neighborhood have bought car washers to use in case of fire. The advantage of car washers is that they can spray water strongly. If one household has a fire, many households can bring their machines to the scene, and the fire can be quickly extinguished. |
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| Mr. Le Vinh Thien made a gong himself from scrap iron, but it rang very loudly. When there was a fire, Mr. Thien went around the neighborhood ringing the gong to alert everyone to come and put out the fire. |
Huy Thu
