Mr. Bui Van Canh is one of hundreds of local people participating in extinguishing the fire in the protective forest fire in Hoang Khai commune, Yen Son (Tuyen Quang) on March 21. This is the largest forest fire ever in the locality.
"Because of the barren bamboo forest, the fire spread quickly, rising tens of meters high. People have been trained but have not encountered this situation. In fact, in the dark conditions, firefighting is difficult and very dangerous," said Mr. Canh.
Like Mr. Canh, Mr. Ha Van Cuong (Hoang Khai commune) also participated in extinguishing the fire for dozens of hours. The harsh terrain and unfavorable weather caused the fire to burn quickly, and could only be done with tree branches and a knife to create a firebreak.
"Most of the forest fire fighting equipment at that time was rudimentary tools such as knives, hoes, and tree branches that people equipped themselves. The temperature from the fire was very high, far different from the time of training, so everyone had to ensure their own safety," Mr. Cuong recalled.
The equipment for forest fire fighting is provided to the forest rangers almost rudimentarily, with only small extinguishers, knives, shovels, boots and black batteries. Some specialized machinery for forest fire fighting is not yet available.
Mr. Vuong Tuan Huy - Deputy Head of Yen Son District Forest Protection Department said that modern equipment is very necessary to put out and extinguish forest fires such as wind blowers and spraying bottles. This more or less affects the effectiveness of forest fire fighting.
In the recent serious forest fire in Tuyen Quang province, the participation of professional fire police forces contributed significantly to quickly controlling and extinguishing the fire.
However, due to the mountainous terrain and lack of water resources, modern equipment such as fire trucks and dragon hoses of the Fire Prevention and Fighting Police cannot be used. Fire extinguishing is still mainly done by hand, using knives, screws, and branches to create runways to block the fire.
One of the modern equipment that has helped firefighting recently is the flycam. The overall image, directly from above, helped the authorities quickly isolate and propose a fire fighting plan, however, this equipment is not of the professional forest rangers.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Tuyen Quang, in 2024, the budget for forest fire prevention and fighting in the area will be about 15 billion VND. This amount is mainly for training and equipment, along with some rudimentary items.
Ms. Mai Thi Hoan - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Tuyen Quang province said that the forest is vast, with many fires and nighttime weather, so the flycam device helps command and fight the fire very effectively. This is one of the modern equipment, very necessary for forest fire fighting.
The catastrophic forest fire in Tuyen Quang killed 1 person while participating in extinguishing the fire. That has shown the importance of being provided with necessary equipment and fire fighting skills. However, this is a problem that exists in many localities.
