An GiangThe fire burned a large area on Co To Mountain and Dai Mountain – two of the seven mountains in the That Son range from noon to tonight and could not be extinguished.
According to the Tri Ton – Thoai Son inter-district Forest Ranger Department, the fire broke out at 10:00 a.m. in Co To mountain, To Thuan hamlet, Nui To commune, Tri Ton district. The fire spread quickly due to dry conditions and wind, making firefighting difficult. The local military and authorities sent more than 150 people, many water vehicles (trucks, motorbikes) and 3 water pumps to put out the fire.
Mr. Nguyen Van Be Tam, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Tri Ton district, said that by the afternoon due to complex mountain terrain, large fires, exploding rocks and the possibility of remaining bombs and ammunition being detonated, the district’s units agreed to withdraw. troops to ensure the safety of the force.
The foot of Co To Mountain burned bright red on the evening of April 26. Image: Huynh Hung
According to district leaders, the fire area is mostly filled with miscellaneous trees and vegetation, the terrain is difficult, and the water source for firefighting is also difficult, requiring each can to go up the mountain to do the job. This place also has no inhabitants. Up to now, the fire area has not been specifically estimated by the locality. No casualties were reported in the area where the incident occurred.
Mr. Huynh Hung, who lives near Co To Mountain, said that the wind in the fire area is quite strong, causing small flames to rise and spread quickly to the surrounding area.
Outside Co To Mountain, a fire broke out at the same time under Dai Mountain, Luong Phi commune. This is an area where people grow arbor (a type of plant in the bamboo family). Currently, the authorities are putting out the fire here. Rescue agencies temporarily created runways adjacent to the fire to prevent the fire from spreading.
According to local people, this year the drought lasted one month longer than in previous years. The lakes around here are all dry.
Fire on the top of Dai Mountain. Image: Huynh Hung
That Son or Bay Nui is a land of mountains and hills mixed with plains in 4 districts and cities of An Giang: Chau Doc City, Tinh Bien, Tri Ton and Thoai Son districts. According to researchers, That Son region has 37 scattered mountains and hills, large and small, with an average height of 50 to 710 m.
Seven mountains represent the whole region, including Cam Mountain (Thien Cam Son), Tuong Mountain (Lien Hoa Son), Dai Mountain (Ngoa Long Son), Long Nam Gieng Mountain or Small Dai Mountain (Ngu Ho Son), Co Mountain To (Phung Hoang Son), Ket mountain (Anh Vu Son) and Nuoc mountain (Thuy Dai Son).
The hot weather in the West has lasted for many months, causing the risk of forest fires. On April 10, more than 40 hectares of production forest in Tran Van Thoi district, Ca Mau, caught a big fire. Many more coordinated forces took nearly a day to extinguish it.
Ngoc Tai
