Forest fires threaten thousands of hectares in Bac Kan

Authorities fighting a forest fire in Bac Kan city. Photo: Ngoc Tu.

From March 20 to 27, five consecutive forest fires occurred in Bac Kan province. On March 20, a fire broke out in a production forest in Group 11, Phung Chi Kien Ward (Bac Kan City), then spread to a forest area with many reeds. At 10 p.m. the same day, the authorities were able to control the fire.

Also in Bac Kan city, on March 21, a forest fire continued to break out in group 1A, Duc Xuan ward. The burned forest area was close to a residential area, mainly reed hills, dry grass, and miscellaneous wood, so it spread quickly in the dry weather. The authorities promptly mobilized fire trucks and personnel to extinguish the fire, preventing it from spreading.

Just one day later, a large fire also broke out in a 5-year-old tallow plantation of Na Di villagers in Duong Quang commune (Bac Kan city). The fire spread in a difficult-to-reach mountainous area, and hundreds of people were mobilized by authorities to extinguish the fire.

Most recently, on March 27, two consecutive forest fires occurred in Ba Be National Park, the first in a special-use forest in Bo Lu village, the second in Pac Ngoi village, both in Nam Mau commune (Ba Be district). These two fires occurred near residential areas so they were controlled and extinguished promptly.

Most of the recent fires were caused by people's carelessness when burning garbage and handling vegetation without close supervision and monitoring, causing the fire to spread. In Bac Kan province, there has been no rain for about 4 months, and the prolonged dry weather has led to an increased risk of forest fires. Currently, most districts in the province have raised the forest fire warning to the highest level.

Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Head of the Department of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (Bac Kan Forest Protection Department) said that from the beginning of 2025 until now, Bac Kan province has had more than 23 fires, of which 13 were mainly reed fires that did not cause damage to the forest, 8 other fires caused damage to more than 7.5 hectares of forest, 2 cases are being recorded by the authorities. The authorities have handled 4 administrative violations with 4 subjects, and transferred 1 case to the investigation agency for criminal prosecution.

Faced with this situation, Bac Kan province has requested functional forces and localities to mobilize maximum human and material resources to prevent and fight forest fires. Forest rangers have increased patrols and forest inspections, ensuring 50% of their regular staff are on duty at the grassroots level, and instructing people on how to safely handle vegetation.

The province also requested localities and grassroots forest fire prevention and fighting teams to inspect high-risk areas and asked people not to use fire in and near forests on hot days, when forest fires are forecast to be at a high risk.

Fires are mainly caused by people's carelessness when using fire near the forest and improperly handling vegetation. Photo: Ngoc Tu.

At Kim Hy Nature Reserve, in recent months, forest rangers have regularly patrolled and inspected the forest, especially the area bordering people's production land.

Mr. Phan Tieu Tuan, Deputy Head of the Forest Ranger Department of Kim Hy Nature Reserve, said that forest areas adjacent to residential areas and production areas are very susceptible to forest fires because at this time people are in the production season, often collecting dry grass and reeds to clear, or burning them for fertilizer.

“The forest rangers coordinate with the commune authorities, military, and police to regularly patrol and inspect the forest. There are many villages in the reserve where people live, and the rangers have actively instructed people, asking them not to use fire near the forest. For the core area of ​​the special-use forest, the rangers patrol and use digital technology and flycams to closely monitor, if a fire is detected, it should be promptly handled, preventing it from spreading,” Mr. Tuan added.

Bac Kan province has more than 374,000 hectares of forest, of which nearly 272,000 hectares are natural forests and more than 102,000 hectares are planted forests. The forest coverage rate of this locality is the highest in the country, reaching more than 73%. In the province, there are 3 large special-use forests in Ba Be National Park, Kim Hy Nature Reserve and Nam Xuan Lac Species - Habitat Conservation Area.

Source: https://nongnghiep.vn/chay-rung-de-doa-hang-nghin-ha-o-bac-kan-d745324.html