Three Control Yuan members are to investigate a forest fire at Yushan National Park that was allegedly caused by a civil servant, the government oversight body said yesterday.
The blaze, which was brought under control on Sunday, destroyed 71 hectares of forest since it began on May 16, data from the Council of Agriculture’s (COA) Forestry Bureau showed.
Control Yuan members Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津), Tsai Chung-yi (蔡崇義) and Lai Ting-ming (賴鼎銘) said in a statement that National Communications Commission senior specialist Joseph Chiao (喬建中) — who on Friday said he started the fire after accidentally tipping over a gas stove at a campground — and his cohorts have extensive hiking experience and should understand the regulations related to forest preservation.
Photo: Wang Shan-yeng, Taipei Times
“However, they engaged in outdoor cooking on May 16 in the park’s Batongguan Dujuan Campground and contravened Article 34 of the Forestry Act (森林法), which bans fire in forest areas and forest protection areas,” they said.
Chiao’s actions caused a fire that has severely devastated the ecosystem, they said, adding that as they were deeply concerned about the incident, they volunteered to investigate it.
While the Forestry Bureau and Construction and Planning Agency are responsible for preserving forests and national parks respectively, hikers should abide by the agencies’ rules, but Chiao and his hiking team members ignored them, they said.
Preserving water resources in the mountains is important as the nation is facing the worst water shortage in 74 years, they added.
The government has deployed helicopters and hundreds of people, as well as a large amount of water, to control the fire, and the damage caused by the blaze would be difficult to calculate, they said.
Chiao’s actions also damaged the image of the government and civil servants, they added.
The three Control Yuan members said that their investigation would focus on whether Chiao and his companions secured permits to enter the park and whether they breached other regulations during the hike.
Meanwhile, officials overseeing forests and national parks would be held accountable if they did not thoroughly enforce the Forestry Act and National Park Act (國家公園法) by cracking down on people illegally starting fires in national preservation areas.
Minister of Agriculture Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) wrote on Facebook on Saturday that the council would seek compensation from people involved in the incident, regardless of their rank in the government.
People accidentally causing a forest fire could face up to two years in prison, which can be commuted to a fine of up to NT$300,000 (US$10,733), the Forestry Act stipulates.
The total cost of fighting the fire is likely to exceed NT$10 million, and the cost does not include environmental damage, he said.
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