Staying up all night guarding every patch of forest
At about 7:45 pm on July 18, the government of Que Phuoc commune, Da Nang city received a fire report at blocks 17 and 27, plot 7, Sub-area 450, belonging to Binh Yen village. When functional forces approached the scene, the fire had caught onto reeds, bamboo, and thick dry vegetation. Strong winds pushed the fire to spread quickly. The hilly terrain was divided, it was dark, and the access road was difficult, making firefighting particularly dangerous.
More than 100 people including police, military, militia, forest rangers, forest fire prevention and fighting forces, forest management boards and local people were mobilized. Two specialized fire trucks, 8 wind turbines, 4 chainsaws and many handicrafts were brought to the scene.
The forces were divided into many prongs, both approaching to extinguish the fire and clearing the ground, creating a firebreak to prevent the fire from spreading. Vice Chairman of Da Nang City People's Committee Phan Thai Binh directly came to the scene to direct.
After a night of straining in smoke, heat and forest wind, until about 5 am on July 19, the fire was completely controlled. The area affected by the fire was determined to be 9,094m2, belonging to the production forest plan managed by the Da Nang Protection Forest Management Board.
Ms. Tao Thi To Diem - Chairwoman of Que Phuoc Commune People's Committee - informed that the initial cause was determined to be due to people treating the ground after exploiting acacia forest, causing the fire to spread. The government is coordinating with forest rangers and relevant agencies to investigate and handle it.
Just one day later, another fire continued to occur in the acacia forest area in Hoa Khanh ward. The initial cause was also related to burning vegetation. Nearly 200 officers and soldiers along with forest rangers, fire and rescue police and local authorities had to participate in the rescue.
According to the Da Nang City Forest Protection Department, from the beginning of the hot season to the end of July 2026, the whole city recorded 19 fire points, burning more than 23ha of forest, of which more than 9ha of acacia forest of people was burned down.
On June 30, a man over 70 years old was found dead in the burning acacia field area in Que Son commune. Initial assessment shows that the victim may have suffocated by smoke while burning vegetation.
Handling right from the act of creating a fire hazard
Da Nang currently has more than 744,000 hectares of forest land, with a forest cover rate of nearly 58%. 83 out of 94 communes, wards, and special zones with forests are identified as key areas prone to fires. Que Phuoc commune alone has more than 31,600 hectares of forest, with a forest cover rate of over 72%. Large forest area, widespread distribution, and fragmented terrain mean that a fire point, if not detected early, may quickly exceed the ability to handle it on the spot. Faced with the increasing risk, some localities have begun to penalize people who use fires against regulations, instead of just reminding or requiring them to sign commitments.
Recently, the Chairman of Lanh Ngoc Commune People's Committee fined a resident in Tien Lanh village 2 million VND for not notifying and not complying with regulations when burning fields, rice fields, and vegetation to prepare forest land. Two million VND is not a large fine compared to the consequences of a forest fire that may be caused. However, handling right from the act of creating fire risk is necessary. Because when the fire goes beyond the burning area, the fine is difficult to compensate for the area of forest burned down, rescue costs and long-term environmental consequences.
According to Decree No. 146/2026/ND-CP, the penalty for violations of forest fire prevention and fighting is determined by type of forest, area and value of damaged forest products.
For production forests that are planted forests, the fine is from 1-2 million VND if the burned area is less than 400m2; it can be up to 100-120 million VND if the burned area is from 3,500m2 to less than 5,000m2. In case of natural forest fires, the fine is twice the corresponding level for planted forests.
In addition to fines, violators may also be forced to remedy environmental pollution and replant forests. The act of intentionally burning forests may be considered for handling according to regulations on deforestation.
In Que Phuoc, vegetation treatment must be registered in advance with local forest rangers and village heads, stating the time and location.
The Chairman of Da Nang City People's Committee has issued an official dispatch requesting the heads of communes, wards, and special zones to be directly responsible for forest fire prevention and fighting; organize 24/24 hour duty during hot weather, review high-risk areas and prepare forces according to the motto "4 on-site", "5 ready".
Da Nang has established 428 mass protection groups and teams with 3,734 members. However, the situation of burning vegetation causing fire spread still occurs, while fire fighting equipment in some localities is still limited. Fire prevention therefore cannot just stop at propaganda and waiting for people to be conscious.
