The forest fire occurred in Bàu Mountain in Thượng Tân Lộc Commune, Nam Đàn District, in the central province of Nghệ An. — VNA/VNS Photo Tá Chuyên

NGHỆ AN — A forest fire in Bàu Mountain in Nghệ An Province was completely extinguished with no casualties reported, said Nguyễn Văn Tụ of the local People's Committee yesterday.

Tụ said the fire likely began due to hot weather and strong winds at around 10am on Wednesday. The hazard area was far from water sources and on steep mountainous terrain, posing difficulties for the local fire brigade.

The burnt area was large and mainly pine forest.

The Thượng Tân Lộc Commune authorities are coordinating with concerned agencies to investigate the cause of the fire and assess the damage.

The commune assigned forces to be on standby during the next three days to prevent the fire from breaking out again.

Immediately after discovering the fire, local authorities quickly took action to extinguish it and prevent it from spreading. 

By about 5pm the same day, they had contained the flames, but due to strong winds, it sprang up again.

They continued to work overnight and drew up a plan to evacuate the elderly and children near the fire area.

The incident was handled completely by 4am on Thursday. — VNS