BEIJING – A relentless forest fire has been blazing for two straight days in a remote village in China’s Yunnan province, defying all efforts to extinguish it. Local authorities have mobilized 326 rescue personnel from forestry, grassland, and firefighting departments to battle the flames that erupted on Friday evening.
The blaze ignited at 4:51 PM in Jiasheng village under the jurisdiction of Nujiang prefecture. Despite the massive deployment, the fire continues to spread across challenging terrain marked by steep cliffs and rugged landscapes. The flames stretch approximately 600 meters, scorching around 600 mu (about 40 hectares) of forested area.
Fortunately, no casualties have been reported, and there are no residential areas or critical infrastructure in the affected zone. However, the isolated location and difficult topography are posing significant hurdles to firefighting operations. As of Sunday morning at 8 AM, teams were still working tirelessly to gain control.
Officials emphasize that all available resources are being poured into containing the fire. The situation remains fluid, with visible flames spotted from afar even on Saturday night. This incident underscores the persistent wildfire risks in China’s diverse ecosystems.
Recent precedents highlight the scale of such emergencies. Just a week ago on January 11, a sudden blaze erupted in a forest in Shantou city, Guangdong province. Last April, over 1,000 personnel and eight firefighting aircraft were deployed to combat a massive fire in Pingyao county, Shanxi province, demonstrating the nation’s robust response capabilities to these natural disasters.