More than 10ha of pine forest were engulfed in a fire at Prenn Pass of Đà Lạt City – Photo nld.vn

LÂM ĐỒNG – Over 13 hectares of pine forest were destroyed in a forest fire occurring in area 267A of Đà Lạt City’s Prenn Pass.

The fire began on the night of April 7, then spread rapidly across other hills due to the thick grassland and dry weather.

More than 150 personnel from the Lâm Đồng Department of Forest Protection and other forces were dispatched to put out the fire.

Because of the mountainous area, it was challenging for fire trucks and task forces to appear in-time.

The fire was extinguished after eight hours, and while there were no reports of deaths or injuries, ten hectares of pine forest had burned down.

The next morning leftover embers caused another fire in a nearby area, destroying an additional three hectares.

According to Lê Đình Việt, vice chairman of the provincial Forest Protection Department, only a small number of line trees were affected since the fire mainly occurred at the grassland under the forest.

“It is fortunate that pine trees can withstand fire conditions and reproduce new parts to replace burnt ones”, Việt said.

He assured that the department would work with related parties to investigate the reason behind by checking surveillance cameras and other means.

Đà Lạt City has over 20,177 hectares of forest, 14,640 hectares of which are natural. The forests not only provide protective functions but also hold a crucial role in the city’s tourism. – VNS