Premier Zhu Greets Firefighters in North China Forest Area

Home>>China

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, August 11, 2002

Premier Zhu Greets Firefighters in North China Forest Area

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji has sent his greetings to the 5,000-strong firefighters combating forest fires in northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and asked them to make greater efforts to "achieve a complete victory."

The premier's message was conveyed Friday via the regional committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), regional government and the State Forestry Administration, sources with the Fire Prevention Office under the State Forestry Administration said here on Saturday.

According to latest reports from the firefighting command in the fire region, by 3 p.m. Saturday, all five remaining fires were under effective control and firefighters were expanding the isolation belts to stop the fires spreading.

All the 5,274 firefighters were greatly encouraged by the greetings from Premier Zhu, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and were determined to completely extinguish the wild fires and protect the country's precious forest reserves, local officials said.

However, weather forecasts from local meteorological departments said that there would be no substantial rainfall in the coming week.

"Under such weather conditions, it would be an arduous task for the firefighters to clear out the burnt areas, and new sparks could occur at any time," said an official with the firefighting command.

A red alert has been sounded among professional firefighters in the adjacent areas and all forest rangers in the autonomous region,while 1,500 troops of the armed police in the region are ready as reinforcements if needed, the official said.

The People's Liberation Army Air Force and civil aviation authorities have also sent four helicopters, two Yun-5 aircraft and one artificial rain-making plane to the region, he added.

Experts blamed the fires in the virgin forest reserve on lightning strikes triggered by the long spell of hot, dry weather since early summer.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Forest Fire in Northeast China Under Partial Control

Forest Fires Spreading in Inner Mongolia

Fires Raging in China's Largest Forest Area

Taiwan Leader's Separatist Cavils Fool None: ARATS ( 10 Messages)

The Dangerous 'Each Side Is a Country' Theory: Commentary ( 20 Messages)

Missing Chinese Girl Found Safe in US East Coast ( 54 Messages)

Chinese GRE Test Takers Shocked by US ETS Decision ( 2 Messages)

China's High-tech Development Geared to Marketable Industries ( 18 Messages)