Home / Environment / News Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Fire Engulfing Virgin Forest in Tibet
Adjust font size:

Firefighters in Tibet have extinguished the high-altitude forest fire but are still struggling to prevent it from flaring up again, the local forestry authority said on Friday.

 

No casualties have been reported.

 

Fire on the north side of the mountain has been extinguished, while on the south side some parts of the forest are still smoldering, according to the Armed Police Tibet Forest Contingent.

 

A high-altitude blaze which started on Tuesday night engulfed more than 470,000 square meters of virgin forest in Konjo county of Qamdo prefecture, east of Tibet Autonomous Region.

 

More than 260 fire fighters along with some 1,000 police and local residents helped fight the blaze which was made difficult, as it was at an altitude of 4,900-meters.

 

The wind which had caused the fire to rapidly spread subsided on Friday morning, sources with the local forestry authority said.

 

Snow has been falling since Thursday but it did little to bring the fire under control, they said.

 

The cause of the fire is under investigation, said Shi Ruifa, a local police officer.

 

Drought and strong winds have affected Konjo County since February and daytime temperatures have exceeded 22 degrees Celsius, Shi said.

 

Konjo County has 142 hectares of primary forest, the second largest forested area in Tibet.

   

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 17, 2007)

 

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous

China Archives
Related >>
- Forest Fires Under Control in Southwest China
- Forest Fire Rages in SW China
- 6,000 People Mobilized to Quench SW China Forest Fire
- Wild Fire Put out in Yunnan
- No Charges Filed Against Boys Responsible for Forest Fire
Most Viewed >>
Air Quality 
Cities Major Pollutant Air Quality Level
Beijing particulate matter II
Shanghai particulate matter III1
Guangzhou sulfur dioxide II
Chongqing particulate matter III2
Xi'an particulate matter III1
Most Read
- White paper on energy
- Endangered monkeys grow in number
- Yangtze River's Three Gorges 2 mln years in the making
- The authorities sets sights on polluted soil
- China, US benefit from clean energy
NGO Events Calendar Tips
- Hand in hand to protect endangered animals and plants
- Changchun, Mini-marathon Aimed at Protecting Siberian Tiger
- Water Walk by Nature University
- Green Earth Documentary Salon
- Prof. Maria E. Fernandez to Give a Lecture on Climate Change
More
Archives
UN meets on climate change
The UN Climate Change Conference brought together representatives of over 180 countries and observers from various organizations.
Panda Facts
A record 28 panda cubs born via artificial insemination have survived in 2006.
South China Karst
Rich and unique karst landforms located in south China display exceptional natural beauty.
Saving the Tibetan Antelopes
The rare animals survive in the harsh natural environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
More
Laws & Regulations
- Forestry Law of the People's Republic of China
- Meteorology Law of the People's Republic of China
- Fire Control Law of the People's Republic of China
- Law on Protecting Against and Mitigating Earthquake Disasters
- Law of the People's Republic of China on Conserving Energy
More
Links:
State Environmental Protection Administration
Ministry of Water Resources
Ministry of Land and Resources
China Environmental Industry Network
Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base