19 Dead In Southwest China Forest Fire

19 dead in southwest China forest fire

BEIJING, (Pakistan Point News - 31st Mar, 2020) A forest fire that is threatening an LPG storage site and two petrol stations has killed 19 people, including 18 firefighters, in southwest China's Sichuan province, state news agency Xinhua and city officials reported on Tuesday.

The fire now directly threatens major facilities in downtown Xichang, including a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage station, two gasoline stations, four schools and the city’s largest department store, Xichang's city government said on its social media account.

As of midnight on Monday, the burned area had exceeded 1,000 hectares and around 80 hectares of forest were destroyed.

So far, a total of 2,044 people have been dispatched to put out the fire and over 1,200 local residents nearby evacuated, Xinhua said.

[Image Credit: AP]