Scene of the fire on Wednesday night in Cà Mau. VNA/VNS Photo Huỳnh Anh

CÀ MAU A big forest fire that started on Wednesday noon in Cà Mau has been extinguished on Thursday morning. The damage of forty hectares however, cannot be undone.

Speaking to Nông Nghiệp Việt Nam (Việt Nam Agriculture) newspaper, Phan Hoàng Vũ, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cà Mau Province, stated that by this morning, the fire had been extinguished by firefighting forces, and the scene was under control.

Currently, authorities are continuing to extinguish any remaining hotspots. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development continues to direct forest rangers to stand guard until the fire is completely extinguished, after which they will assess the damage and return the scene to the owner.

More than 600 personnel, including military, police, local authorities and civilians, participated in firefighting efforts. In Khánh Bình Tây commune, Trần Văn Thời district, 18 households with over 50 residents were evacuated due to the forest fire threat. Similarly, in Khánh Bình Tây Bắc commune, three households at risk were relocated.

Given the fire's occurrence during intense heat and drought, resulting in water scarcity and making firefighting efforts difficult, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Minh Hoan instructed the Forest Protection Department and the Forestry Department to guide and reinforce local forces in firefighting and forest rescue efforts in Cà Mau.

In compliance with the above directive, the Forest Protection Department requested its Sub-department in Region 3 to urgently deploy forces and firefighting equipment in Cà Mau, and on Wednesday evening, the firefighting force was mobilised and provided assistance to the locality.

The fire broke out around 12:30pm in the melaleuca forest production area of Farm 402 (under Military Zone 9), spreading to about 40 hectares in Khánh Bình Tây commune.

Upon detecting the fire, the Chairman of the Cà Mau Provincial People's Committee, Huỳnh Quốc Việt, mobilized over 400 personnel, both directly and in reserve, to participate in firefighting efforts, with 16 pumping units and 3 specialised firefighting vehicles deployed. The firefighting forces were divided into five different directions to make concerted efforts to control the fire. VNS