Nghe An mountains and forests devastated after series of fires

Green forest turned to ashes

On July 1, Nghe An Newspaper reporters went to Thung Huyen hamlet, Eo Vong, Nam Kim commune, Nam Dan district - where a terrible forest fire had just occurred. On both sides of the path, the fire had burned the bamboo bushes black. The burning smell was very unpleasant.

Here, the sound of drums, gongs, and the mournful cries of relatives saying goodbye to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa - who died while carrying water while fighting a forest fire - sounded very sad.

After the forest fire on June 30, many areas of forest in Nam Kim commune (Nam Dan) were burned down, the forests were burned black in long, desolate rows. Photo: Quang An

Ms. Tran Thi Minh - a local resident with tears in her eyes said: "The fire broke out strongly where Mrs. Hoa was giving water to people. Mrs. Hoa tried to struggle to escape the sea of ​​fire, but due to her weakness, combined with the steep terrain, she was completely burned by the fire and died on the spot. This afternoon, the whole village sent Mrs. Hoa to her resting place in sorrow."

Mr. Trinh Van Long in Hamlet 2, Nam Kim Commune, had just moved his belongings back after the fire and was still in shock: The fire swept in very quickly, burning the entire acacia and lemon forest, then surrounded the house on all sides. It was thought that the house would also burn down, but the army and fire police used water cannons and blowers to push back the forest fire, saving my family's house.

Fire trucks spray water to put out the fire that spread to people's houses. Photo: Lam Tung

Mr. Long pointed at the burnt lemons and added: The house is still there, but all the properties on the hills have been burned down. The forest fire burned 1 hectare of pine forest, 1 hectare of acacia and over 200 lemon trees that were ready for harvest. We don't know when the economy will recover.

Mr. Trinh Van Long's lemon garden was completely burned. Photo: Van Truong

Mr. Pham Van Nham - Military Commander of Nam Kim Commune shared: It must be said that in times of danger, we can see the deep affection between the army and the people. In the suffocating heat of the fire, smoke, and dust covering the entire area, soldiers, police, forest rangers, militiamen... holding knives and sledgehammers, sweating and covered in smoke and dust, risked their lives to cut through the forest to put out the fire.

In particular, there were times when the southwest wind blew strongly, and huge flames were rolling into people's houses. Firefighters were ready to hold "water hoses" to surround people's houses, endure the terrible heat, determined to suppress the fire and protect the houses. In times of imminent danger, soldiers crossed the forests, quickly evacuated and carried belongings for people to dangerous areas, and carried the elderly and children to evacuate to safety.

The commune militia transported belongings to residents of Hamlet 2, Nam Kim Commune before and after the fire. Photo: Quang An

Up to this point, the entire Nam Kim commune has suffered damage to over 12 hectares of forest, the forest area is mainly managed by the commune, of which 3-4 households had to evacuate because the fire reached their homes. While supplying water to put out the fire, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa - a resident of Thung Huyen hamlet was killed.

...At noon, the sun was blazing hot, returning to Khanh Son commune (Nam Dan) where just 2 days ago, 2 consecutive terrible forest fires had occurred. The poetic pine forests that once reflected in the river were now burned down, leaving only black.

Until now, although the fires have been completely extinguished, witnessing the decades-old forests turning to ashes, no one can hold back their emotions.

Pine forest in Khanh Son commune (Nam Dan) after the fire. Photo: Quang An

Mr. Pham Van Toan in Hamlet 2, Khanh Son Commune is one of the households located near the edge of the forest, where the fire broke out. He recalled: The fire broke out at night, when everyone was resting, suddenly we heard screams, my brothers and I rushed to put out the fire, but the fire had flared up very strongly and spread quickly. If the army and police had not come to rescue in time, we would not have been able to control the fire, even households living next to the forest like us would have lost their lives...

Residents in Khanh Son commune shared: The fire not only caused economic damage but also affected the environment. Although the fire was extinguished, the smoke and dust were still thick on the mountains. Every time there was a strong wind, dust flew into the sky, making people living near the edge of the forest extremely suffocated. Some people even had to stay with relatives to avoid pollution.

However, to be able to put out all the smoke and dust, the only way is to wait for rain, then the embers will drift down the mountain foot, the hillside will be clean of dust, but if the weather continues to be sunny and there is no rain, the risk of pollution for our people is very high.

Decades-old pine trees burned. Photo: Quang An

Stand up to forest fire

The forest fire that swept through Nam Kim commune (Nam Dan) was terrifying. The fire started from the hill, burned down to the residential area and spread to the roads. After the fire, pine trees were broken and scattered everywhere, some were still smoldering, the risk of a forest fire re-igniting could happen at any time.

Many pine trees fell after the fire, some are still smoldering, which can easily lead to another forest fire. Photo: Quang An

At noon on July 1, the sun was at its highest, but we saw militia forces still helping people clean up their belongings, using blowers to blow away ashes in areas at risk of re-ignition.

“After the fire, the commune assigned tasks to more than 50 people, including militia and village chiefs, who took turns staying at forest locations to watch the fire, because if a re-fire occurred, it would be very dangerous.”

Mr. Pham Van Nham - Military Commander of Nam Kim commune

Present at the scene of the fire in Khanh Son commune, we could not help but see the image of people hastily eating dry instant noodles to protect the forest from the risk of re-fire.

People in Khanh Son commune (Nam Dan) eat instant noodles on fire. Photo: Quang An

People said they also wanted to go down to have lunch, however, they were afraid that the fire would flare up again suddenly and they would not be able to react in time, so they had to accept eating dry instant noodles in the 40 degree Celsius heat to complete their mission.

Mr. Tran Van Vinh - Head of Hamlet 2, Khanh Son Commune shared: "In difficult times like these, we encourage our brothers to always try their best to complete their tasks despite the hardships."

Firefighters from Nam Kim commune are on duty to prevent the fire from rekindling after it has been extinguished. Photo: Van Truong

Although the fire in Nam Kim commune was basically controlled on the afternoon of June 30, by the morning of July 1, when reporters arrived at the scene of the fire, military forces and residents of the hamlets were still on duty in the forests, guarding against the fire from rekindling.

The heat is prolonged, the Lao wind is blowing hot, the risk of forest fires is still present, people in the pine forest area are still struggling to cope. Losing forests means losing livelihoods, long-term environment, so forest protection needs to be cared for, concerned by the whole society and have more synchronous and effective solutions.