A forest fire occures in Hương Sơn District, Hà Tĩnh Province recently. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ TĨNH — Police in Hương Sơn District, Hà Tĩnh Central Province have charged three people for causing a forest fire.

The accused are Nguyễn Văn Sửu,46; Cao Huy Chương,48; and Lương Xuân Thịnh, 52. They all reside in Hương Sơn District.

According to local police, at 7.30am on June 23, Sửu, Chương and Thịnh rode motorbikes to Khe Nhồng forest in Sơn Hồng Commune to look for beehives to collect honey.

They are accused of burning a torch to smoke the bees out from a hive and caused the forest fire by accident.

They reportedly tried to extinguish the flames but strong winds hamstrung their efforts.

Local authorities and fire-fighting forces rushed to the forest to stamp out the fire, which burned 70ha of forest and 13 houses before it was controlled.

Earlier last Wednesday, a woman from Sơn Trung Commune, Hương Sơn District, was banned from leaving her place of residence and is being prosecuted for the same crime as the three men above.

Nguyễn Thị Hảo, 36, allegedly caused a forest fire, destroying about 3ha of local forest.

Due to prolonged hot dry weather together with strong winds, forest fires have broken out in several locations in the province recently.

Local investigators are working to find the causes of other fires. — VNS