On a single day, five consecutive forest fires broke out in a county of Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, China, all caused by the illegal setting off of fireworks and firecrackers, with multiple people penalized.
According to the “Guangdong Emergency Management” WeChat official account last Saturday (February 21), five forest fires occurred consecutively last Monday (16th) in Qingxi Town, Chayang Town, Gaopo Town, Hule Town, and Zhourui Town of Dapu County, Meizhou City. All were caused by villagers or minors illegally setting off fireworks and firecrackers near forest areas. Fortunately, the fires were discovered in time and handled quickly, resulting in no casualties, but causing damage to forest resources and the ecological environment. The concerned offenders or guardians are being investigated according to the law and will be dealt with strictly.
The first fire occurred in Chankan Village, Qingxi Town at 11:16 am last Monday. Due to careless setting off of firecrackers by a villager, a forest fire was triggered. After nearly three hours of firefighting, the open flames were extinguished by 2:00 pm that day. The perpetrator surnamed Jiang has been investigated according to the law.
At 3:00 pm last Monday, a fire broke out in Yankeng Village, Chayang Town, caused by a villager setting off firecrackers, and the open flames were extinguished by 6:00 pm. While there were no casualties, the fire still impacted the local ecology and economy, causing direct economic losses of about 200,000 yuan (RMB, equivalent to MYR 113,000).
At 3:00 pm last Monday, a fire broke out in Yankeng Village, Chayang Town, caused by a villager setting off firecrackers, and the open flames were extinguished by 6:00 pm. While there were no casualties, the fire still impacted the local ecology and economy, causing direct economic losses of about 200,000 yuan (RMB, equivalent to MYR 113,000).
At 6:50 pm last Monday, a forest fire occurred in Taoxi Village, Gaopo Town, caused by minors setting off fireworks. The flames were put out at 8:16 pm. Gaopo Police Station promptly intervened and established that two children setting off “sky rockets” at their doorstep triggered the fire on the opposite hillside. After an investigation, the guardians are required to pay economic losses for the forest fire, totaling 43,140 yuan.
At 7:36 pm last Monday, a forest fire broke out in Jinguang Village, Hule Town, caused by villagers setting off fireworks. The flames were put out by 9:05 pm. The responsible party has been investigated and dealt with according to law.
At 9:03 pm last Monday, a forest fire occurred in Huaguang Village, Zhourui Town, caused by minors setting off fireworks. The fire was extinguished at 10:15 pm. After an investigation, the guardians of the party responsible are required to pay for the economic losses caused by the forest fire.
At 9:03 pm last Monday, a forest fire occurred in Huaguang Village, Zhourui Town, caused by minors setting off fireworks. The fire was extinguished at 10:15 pm. After an investigation, the guardians of the party responsible are required to pay for the economic losses caused by the forest fire.
At noon last Sunday (15th), a villager surnamed Lin set off firecrackers less than 50 meters from the mountain near his home in Wanzi Village, Huacheng Town, Wuhua County, Meizhou City, causing a fire. The Huacheng Town government, forestry station, and village committee quickly organized efforts to extinguish the fire. After a concerted effort, the fire was completely brought under control. The villager surnamed Lin was administratively detained and punished by the public security authorities, and will also face a hefty fine.
On Saturday evening, the Guangdong Provincial Command for Forest Fire Prevention and Suppression convened a video meeting to interview Meizhou City and Wuhua County due to the frequent occurrence of recent forest fires.
The interview emphasized that Meizhou City and Wuhua County must resolutely overcome complacency and fluke mentality, and treat fire prevention and suppression as the current top priority. Fire source control must be further strengthened, with an in-depth forest fire hazard inspection and rectification campaign, the “2026 Fire Hunting Operation”, focusing on key links, integrating human, technical, and material defenses, and taking extraordinary measures for fire source management. Publicity and education must be further deepened, with multi-form and wide-ranging campaigns to promote laws, regulations, and safety knowledge on forest fire prevention, strengthening targeted publicity for key groups, and promptly exposing typical fire cases and accountability handling.
The interview required that Meizhou City and Wuhua County further strengthen emergency preparedness, improve contingency plans, enhance practical drills, equip and strengthen material supplies, and perfect a “sky-land” integrated monitoring and early warning system to ensure early detection, reporting, and disposal of fires, adhering to the principle of “fighting early, fighting small, fighting thoroughly,” and strictly adhering to safety norms for fire suppression. Supervision and accountability must be further tightened, and any problems found should be pointed out on the spot, rectified within a time limit, and tracked for results to ensure that all forest fire prevention and suppression measures are effectively implemented.