Hong Kong records 34 hill fires in 2 days, 2 flame trails on Mountainside burn for 16 hours
26 January 2023
Published by: https://www.scmp.com
HONG KONG – Hong Kong has reported 34 hill fires in two days amid dry and windy weather, with at least two sprawling trails of flames on Kai Kung Leng mountain burning for 16 hours, according to authorities.
A green group called on authorities to investigate whether illegal fireworks set off in nearby rural communities to mark Lunar New Year might have started the fire.
The Fire Services Department on Wednesday said it first received reports of a hill fire on Kai Kung Leng in Lam Tsuen Country Park in the northern New Territories at around 7pm the day before. Bright orange trails of fire could be seen from around the Yuen Long area well into the night as the blaze spread across the 585-metre (1,919 foot) summit.
Firefighters put out the blaze at 11.09am on Wednesday. Authorities earlier told nearby residents to close their windows to keep out smoke.
The Kai Kung Leng blaze was among 34 bushfires in the New Territories reported to authorities since Tuesday. Other locations of fires included Pat Heung near Kong Po Road and Heung Yuen Wai in Sheung Shui.
A fire services spokeswoman said that while it was difficult to determine the cause of hill fires, the dry and windy weather was a major contributing factor.
Vivien Cheng Yu-wai, director of community partnership at NGO Green Earth, added that fireworks set off in nearby villages might have ignited dry grass on the hillside and called on authorities to investigate.
A dry northeast monsoon descended on the city on Tuesday morning in the aftermath of a cold front across China’s southern coast, according to the Observatory.
A red fire danger warning was issued on Tuesday and has since been replaced by the yellow signal.
Relative humidity at Shek Kong in Yuen Long dropped from 95 per cent at midnight to below 50 per cent at noon. Winds of about 30km/h (18mph) were recorded at Lau Fau Shan near Yuen Long throughout Tuesday before easing to just over 10km/h on Wednesday morning.
Another dry spell under the monsoon is expected on Friday, and relative humidity is forecast to fall below 40 per cent this weekend.
The mountain’s proximity to villagers’ burial grounds made it susceptible to hill fires, Cheng from Green Earth said, and the vegetation struggled to recover as the soil became less fertile due to erosion.
She noted that firebreaks on the mountain ridge created a few months ago might have failed due to weeds and stressed the public’s self-discipline held the key to preventing wildfires.
The Post has reached out to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, which manages country parks in Hong Kong, for comment.
