Acacia forest in Ninh Hoà Township of Khánh Hoà Province was burned down last month. VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Dũng

KHÁNH HOÀ – Several areas of forests in Khánh Hoà Province are at high risk of fire due to prolonged droughts and extremely hot weather, reported online newspaper vietnamplus.vn.

According to initial statistics by the provincial Forest Management Department, the province has a total area of 67,000ha at high risk of fire, increasing by 16,000ha compared to the same period last year.

Forests in two districts of Vạn Ninh and Cam Lâm, and Ninh Hoa township, were at the highest alert level while the remaining localities were forecast at a dangerous level.

Forest rangers have strengthened around-the-clock patrols in order to promptly detect and extinguish fires and minimise losses.

The forest rangers have also provided information on forest fire control to local governments and forest owners.

The forest rangers continued to monitor forest fire warnings on the national early fire warning system so as to inform forest owners and firefighters when blazes broke out.

The Forest Management Department requested forest owners to set up plans to extinguish fires and measures to supervise visitors who entered forests.

Last month, Khánh Vĩnh District and Ninh Hoà Township suffered fires at an acacia plantation, causing damage to hundreds of hectares of 3-year-old acacia forest.

The fire caused losses of VNĐ1.6 billion (US$87,000). – VNS