China News Agency, Xichang, March 31th: 19 people died at Xichang Forest Fire in Sichuan
Author Wang Peng Liu Zhongjun Chen Xuanbin
The People's Government of Xichang City, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, held a press conference on the afternoon of the 31st to respond to public concerns during a forest fire in Xichang that occurred on the afternoon of the 30th.
At 15:51 on March 30, the forest fire prevention headquarters of Xichang received a telephone call to alert the forest fire in the direction of Ma'anshan. As of 16:00 on the 31st, the fire area was over 1,000 hectares and the area destroyed was over 80 hectares. The fire also killed 19 firefighters.
On March 31, the remains of 19 firefighters who died in a forest fire in Xichang, Sichuan, arrived at the funeral parlor in Xichang. Photo by China News Agency reporter Liu Zhongjun
Why did the forest fire develop so quickly?
The forest fire struck Laoshan on the southwest side of Xichang City, the capital of Liangshan Prefecture. After the fire broke out on the afternoon of the 30th, Xichang was soon shrouded in thick smoke. Yue Feng, who lives at the foot of the mountain, told reporters that the initial ignition point was located on the side of Laoshan facing away from the city. Within an hour, the flames crossed the ridge and spread to the side of Laoshan facing the city.
Talking about why the fire has developed so quickly, Li Jun, secretary of the Xichang Municipal Party Committee of the Communist Party of China, said that since March, Xichang has entered the dry wind season, with hot and sunny weather, and there has been no rainfall for 20 consecutive days, and the humidity is only 5% to 10%. Especially since late March, it has been hot for 4 consecutive days. The highest temperature on the 30th reached 31.2 degrees Celsius, and the wind was from 7 to 8.
Li Jun said that the starting point of the forest fire was initially determined as a willow stump in Daying Farm, which spread violently along the endurance, horse road, and Laoshan Houshan. "Because of the changing wind direction, the fire spread rapidly and accompanied by many flying fires. Causing multiple multi-line rapid-fire situations. "
Why is the forest fire even more critical?
The forest fire occurred next to a city with a permanent population of more than 700,000, so it is even more interesting. Talking about the severity of the fire, Li Jun said that it is different from ordinary forest fires. It is located in the Ershan National Mountain Scenic Area, and has many important facilities around it, including a petroleum liquefied gas storage and distribution station with a capacity of about 250 tons. , Two gas stations, four schools and museums, cultural relics protection units, and the largest department store in Xichang.
Li Jun said that after the fire, more than 1,200 people were evacuated in an emergency within 30 minutes in three surrounding towns, with a total of 18,152 people evacuated. In particular, 16,000 people within 3 square kilometers of the high-risk area of the petroleum liquefied gas storage and distribution station were transferred within 3 hours. Temporary resettlement sites were set up spontaneously by hotels, guesthouses, and schools.
Liu Fude, the captain of the Sichuan Fire Rescue Corps, said that in response to the long line of fire at the scene, the point is wide, and the wind direction is changing, the fire rescue personnel adopted measures of segmented guarding and key guardianship, and adopted water cannon and water gun positions in 9 key locations , Open up fire isolation belts, implement high points or drone monitoring and other methods to stop the spread of fire.
Why did the 19 firefighters die?
On the 31st, news of the sacrifice of 19 firefighters involved in the Xichang forest fire caught public attention. It is worth noting that just one year ago-March 31, 2019, 27 forest firefighters and 4 local firefighters died at a forest fire in Lier Village, Yalongjiang Town, Muli County, Liangshan Prefecture. on site.
In this regard, Li Jun introduced that at 19:30 on the 30th, the professional fire-fighting team of Ningyuan Town, Ningnan County, Liangshan Prefecture received a support order from the Ningnan County Forestry and Grass Bureau to Xichang City. A total of 21 people from the first and fifth shifts of the team arrived from Ningnan County to assist the Xichang Sheshan Fire Field at 22:40, and arrived at Caijiagou Reservoir, Jingjiu Town, Xichang City, where the fire site was located. A local guide led uphill from Caijiagou Reservoir to the assembly site for fire fighting operations.
"According to the survivors, the team suddenly encountered a sudden change in wind direction at 1:20 in the morning of the 31st, killing 18 Fire Fighting Team members and 1 guide at the scene and injuring 3 Fire Fighting Team members." A seriously injured person was treated in the hospital and his vital signs were stable. The remains of 19 victims were escorted to the funeral home in Xichang at 14:30 on the 31st. Relevant units have initiated martyrs declaration procedures for 19 victims.
Li Jun said that currently there is no open flame on the front of Laoshan, but due to the continuous rise in the afternoon temperature and increased wind, there are multiple smoke spots in the area and there is a risk of re-ignition. Professional fire teams and militia teams are guarding the entire line. In the next step, the local government will implement scientific measures to make every effort to extinguish the fire and step up investigations into the cause of the fire and the accident. (Finish)