Forest Fires Extinguished in Guangdong Province, South China
13 April 1999
50 Fires Sweep Guangdong
By Tian Xiaorui, Chinese Academy of ForestryAbout 50 fires broke out in the mountains of the Guangdong Province from April 5 to April 6, but all were extinguished. The mountain fires broke out mainly in the cities of Qingyuan, Shantou, Shanwei, Huizhou and Guangzhou. The weather in Guangdong had been hot and dry consistently for more than six months, and that condition were now ripe for more forest fires.
On April 5, during the Chinese Festival of Pure and Brightness, when people pay homage to their ancestors, Foshan received 15 forest fire reports. Because of timely reports, the fire did not cause much economic damage.
Quite a number of fire were triggered by firecrackers set off during visits to graves.