On the night of July 21, the coastal forest fire in Phu My Dong commune (Gia Lai) has not been completely extinguished. Functional forces are still on duty overnight, deploying measures to control the fire and prevent it from spreading.
Talking to Lao Dong newspaper at night, Mr. Quan Nguyen (born 2001, residing in Tan Phung village, Phu My Dong commune) said that by about 11 pm on July 21, the fire was still engulfing the casuarina forest bordering Tan Phung and Xuan Thanh villages.
From the ground, I controlled a flycam flying at an altitude of about 300m and saw that the area of forest burned was very large. Previously, at 7 pm, strong sea winds caused the fire to break out fiercely. At about 11 pm, the wind subsided and the fire also subsided.
Observing through flycam, functional forces and fire trucks are still on duty at the scene to put out the fire," Mr. Quan Nguyen said.
Previously, in the afternoon of the same day, the fire broke out in the coastal protection forest area of Sub-area 62 (Phu My Dong commune), then quickly spread. The fire is at risk of directly threatening the production and living area of neighboring people, especially Tan Phung fishing village.
Immediately after the fire was discovered, more than 500 people including military forces, police, forest rangers, forest owners... and more than a dozen specialized vehicles were mobilized to the scene, urgently deploying fire fighting measures to prevent the fire from spreading.
Phu My Dong Commune People's Committee also urgently mobilized forces of officials, police, military and people in the area to focus on handling and controlling the fire.
The commune has also issued a notice advising people not to enter the forest fire area to ensure safety for people and property, and to be ready to relocate when requested by functional agencies.
According to a report from the Gia Lai Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, the fire broke out on July 20, and was detected by firefighters immediately after it was discovered. However, by July 21, the fire broke out again, spreading over about 30 hectares of protection forest with vegetation mainly casuarina, cashew and acacia.
Leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Gia Lai province said that functional forces have made white tape to cordon off the area and prevent the fire from spreading. The fire broke out again on the night of July 21 in the area that had been cordoned off and controlled.
According to the leader of the Gia Lai Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, at the time of the fire, the wind was strong and continuously changed direction, causing embers to fly far away. Dry vegetation and many trees containing essential oils caused the fire to burn fiercely. Firefighters could not approach to put out the fire directly but focused on zoning and creating white ice.
The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee directed to put the safety of people's lives and property first. The forces have cordoned off the area, preventing the fire from spreading. Up to now, the cordoning off has been ensured," said the leader of the Gia Lai Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment.
