Forest fire in Tibet burns around 700 hectares of land

A forest fire broke out in southern Tibet on 14 April. The blaze happened near to the city of Nyingchi, located in the Chinese-named Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

Forest Fire.

The fire began around 5pm and saw 3,495 emergency service members sent to extinguish it, according to local sources.

It stopped in the afternoon of 18 April after burning for four days and affecting around 700 hectares of land.  Around 117 households and 603 people were evacuated in the surrounding area. 

Chinese state media, ECNS.cn said, “Complicated terrain, steep slopes and strong winds have made the fire fighting work extremely challenging.”

The fire comes a month after news that Tibetan environmental defender Tashi Phuntsok has died. Tashi Phuntsok led protests against deforestation in Nyachukha County, eastern Tibet in 1993. He died on 17 March this year.