Over 1,000 firefighters, military personnel and local residents are currently fighting the forest fires that have already claimed the lives of at least 30 people in the Chinese southern province of Sichuan, Xinhua news outlet reported on Monday
BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th April, 2019) Over 1,000 firefighters, military personnel and local residents are currently fighting the forest fires that have already claimed the lives of at least 30 people in the Chinese southern province of Sichuan, Xinhua news outlet reported on Monday.
According to the local government of the province's Liangshan Yi Autonomous prefecture, the forest fires spread from the Muli county to the neighboring counties of Yuexi and Mianning on Sunday.
As of 10:00 a.m. local time (02:00 GMT), three helicopters have been dispatched to fight the fires.
The forest fires broke out in the Muli county on March 30. By April 1, Chinese officials confirmed that at least 30 people had died in the forest fires, including the chief of a regional forestry bureau in the prefecture and his deputy. Local authorities said that a lightning strike was the cause of the forest fires.
