Border forest fire prevented from entering Chinese territory: Ministry
20 March 2019
Published by http://www.globaltimes.cn/
CHINA/RUSSIA : The forest fire in Russia area on the border is spreading toward China. Photo: Chinanews.com
Hundreds of Chinese firefighters have been dispatched to the border with Russia to prevent a forest fire in Russia from entering the city of Huichun, Northeast China’s Jilin Province, according to China’s Ministry of Emergency Management.
“On-site observations show there was no open fire in the Russian area as of 8 am Wednesday, but smoke indicates the fire could reignite,” a press officer who requested anonymity with the China’s Ministry of Emergency Management, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
About 400 Chinese firefighters have been deployed to the frontline in case the fire reignites and crosses into the Chinese territory.
The forest fire broke out at 4:20 pm Monday and spread over 15 kilometers on the Russian side, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.
Forty-four Chinese firefighters opened a 3.8-kilometer isolation zone on the Chinese side, effectively blocking the fire from spreading across the border, it reported.
On Tuesday, high winds and rising temperatures had reignited the fire in Russia and local firefighting authorities deployed an additional 295 firefighters to the border.
