Many forest fires in Nghe An are caused by people's carelessness.

Causes of fires

Recently, on August 23rd, a fire broke out in the pine forest area of ​​Hamlet 14, Nghi Tien Commune (Nghi Loc District). With the efforts of over 500 people, it took more than 3 hours to extinguish the fire, with initial estimates of damage to over 2 hectares of forest. Notably, during the firefighting operation, two employees of the Nghi Loc District Protective Forest Management Board suffered burns and were hospitalized.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Lam, Head of the Nghi Loc Forest Ranger Station, said: The cause of the forest fire is under investigation; however, according to initial information, it is suspected that two individuals brought fire into the forest to catch bees, causing the fire and leaving serious consequences.

Previously, on April 30th, a forest fire occurred in Tan Phong hamlet, Thanh Khai commune, Thanh Chuong district. The fire then spread to the pine forest area of ​​Nam Dan town, Nam Dan district, burning nearly 10 hectares of forest. Investigators determined that four people clearing undergrowth and starting the fire caused the forest blaze. Authorities are currently handling these cases according to the law.

Since the beginning of June, Nghe An has entered a period of intense heat. Although local authorities and forest rangers have strictly prohibited bringing fire into the forest to catch bees, in many areas, people are still secretly bringing fire into the forest to catch bees, posing a risk of forest fires.

A representative from the Thanh Chuong District Forest Management Unit shared: Thanh Chuong District has over 62,000 hectares of forest, much of which is adjacent to residential areas. During the hot season, many people make a living by catching bees and bringing fire into the forest.

The Thanh Chuong Forest Ranger Station has directed forest protection stations in Thanh Thuy, Hanh Lam communes, and other areas to actively patrol and control forest entrances. Since the beginning of June, the station has detected and prevented three incidents of people bringing fire into the forest to catch bees..

However, according to some bee hunters in Dien Chau district, from the beginning of June to the end of October is the season when bees produce high-quality honey and are breeding season, so people often go into the forest together to find beehives to sell and improve their lives..

Besides bringing fire into the forest Honey harvesting remains quite common, and at ecotourism sites near forests in Nghe An province, people are camping and carelessly bringing fires to cook or smoke, which can cause forest fires. For example, in the Xuan Duong Lake area, Dien Phu commune, Dien Chau district, groups of people from all over often come to visit and camp on weekends, creating a high risk of forest fires.

In order to minimize the risk of forest fires, at this time, The Dien Chau forest protection force, in coordination with local authorities, has established forest fire watch stations to detect and handle incidents promptly. Specifically, the militia, commune police, and local forest rangers are on duty 24/7 at the stations.

A representative from the Dien Phu Commune People's Committee stated: "We record the full name, address, phone number, and purpose of entry and exit from this area of ​​all people entering and leaving the forest. Each day, there are approximately 20-30 people entering the forest to harvest pine resin or tend to their farms. Camping with a fire for cooking is not permitted."

In Vinh City, the Quyet Mountain area in Trung Do ward receives a considerable number of tourist groups daily, posing a high risk of forest fires due to some tourists bringing fire with them.

To minimize the risk of forest fires, in areas containing tombs and mausoleums, the authorities have posted signs saying "no burning of votive paper" to reduce the risk of forest fires. Around the Quyết mountain area, at 3 checkpoints controlling access to and from the forest, forest rangers and related forces are always on duty to control people bringing fire into the forest.

Nghe An province remains hot and dry, posing a significant risk of forest fires.

People bringing fire into the forest needs to be strictly controlled.

Nghe An province has the largest forest area in the country, with over 1 million hectares. According to the Nghe An Forest Protection Department, the harsh weather conditions of high temperatures and prolonged intense heat pose a very high risk of forest fires. Particularly high-risk areas include 15,476 hectares of pine plantations in the districts of Dien Chau, Hung Nguyen, Yen Thanh, and Thanh Chuong…

To minimize the risk of forest fires in the coming period, the Forest Protection Department directs its subordinate units to maintain 100% of their personnel on duty 24/7 during periods of hot weather and high forest fire risk. Forest owners and commune-level People's Committees are to deploy forces to monitor and control people entering and leaving the forest in key forest areas, at fire watchtowers, and forest protection stations where the risk of forest fires is high, in order to proactively prevent and control forest fires.

Establish checkpoints and patrols in key areas prone to forest fires, strictly control access to and from high-risk forest areas (e.g., the tomb of Lady Hoang Thi Loan, the mausoleum of King Mai Hac De, the Quyet Mountain forest park, the Cuong Temple area...). Promptly detect fire outbreaks, mobilize forces to control and extinguish forest fires in the shortest possible time, preventing large-scale fires; strictly adhere to reporting procedures, ensuring complete, accurate, and timely reports to support effective forest fire prevention and control efforts.

The forces deployed effectively carried out forest fire warning work at fire watchtowers throughout the province, monitoring the forest fire warning information system of the Forest Protection Department. They did a good job of warning and forecasting forest fire risk levels early to local authorities, forest owners, and the public to raise awareness and proactively implement appropriate measures for forest fire prevention and control.

In addition, proactively and urgently review the plans and methods for forest fire prevention and control in the district with the motto:""4 on-site"; deploying forces, equipment, supplies, and funds to serve forest fire prevention and control work.

The carelessness of some people puts forests at high risk of fire, leading to costly firefighting efforts and even endangering lives. Therefore, every citizen needs to raise their awareness of forest protection.