Areas at high risk of forest fires. — Photo courtesy of the Department of Forestry and Forest Protection

HÀ NỘI — A surge in temperatures following brief rains, has triggered widespread forest fire alerts across the country, as a strong heatwave returned on Tuesday.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, weather across the North, including Hà Nội, remains hot and dry, with daytime temperatures reaching 35–36 degree Celsius, and some locations surpassing 38. 

The central provinces are also experiencing extreme heat, with widespread temperatures of 36–38 C. The Central Highlands and southern provinces are seeing highs of 35–36 C, with some areas even hotter.

The combination of intense heat, low humidity and increasingly active southwest winds, especially in the central region, has sharply increased the risk of forest fires.

The Department of Forestry and Forest Protection issued a Level 5 (extremely dangerous) forest fire warning for 35 locations in the South, including Bình Phước, Tây Ninh, Đồng Nai, Kiên Giang, Sóc Trăng, Cà Mau and Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu.

An additional Level 4 (dangerous) warning has been issued for 97 locations in northern provinces and other parts of the South and Central Highlands, including Hải Phòng, Vĩnh Phúc, Hà Giang, Cao Bằng, Bắc Kạn, Quảng Ninh, Lạng Sơn, Tuyên Quang, Thái Nguyên, Bắc Giang, Gia Lai, Long An, Đồng Tháp, An Giang, Trà Vinh, Cà Mau, Tiền Giang, Kiên Giang and Bến Tre. — VNS