Firefighters yesterday morning put out the remaining flames of a blaze in Yushan National Park that over 12 days destroyed more than 70 hectares of forest on Dashueikushan (大水窟山).
Firefighters gained control over the blaze by creating a 30m-wide, 1.6km-long firebreak and after rains on Saturday, the Forestry Bureau said in a news release.
The bureau would seek compensation from five hikers, who are accused of causing the fire, the bureau added.
Photo courtesy of the Forestry Bureau
The group would be prosecuted over breaches of the Forestry Act (森林法), it said, adding that the fire’s costs are being calculated.
The leader of the group, Joseph Chiao (喬建中), a senior specialist at the National Communications Commission, last week said that he accidentally knocked over a gas stove when preparing breakfast.
Social media users speculated Chiao started a campfire deliberately to show off his ability to do so.
Photo courtesy of the Forestry Bureau
The bureau deployed 113 of its workers to fight the blaze, aided by personnel from other government agencies and the military, it said.
Overall, 960 firefighters were deployed at an altitude of about 3,200m, it added.
The National Airborne Service Corps sent helicopters to take part in the effort, but was stretched thin by two other fires in Nantou County’s Hueisun Forest Area (惠蓀林場) and on Taichung’s Malunshan (馬崙山), as well as rescue missions for stranded hikers, the bureau said.
The National Rescue Command Center secured additional twin-rotor CH-47s from the Army Aviation and Special Operations Command, the bureau added.
The helicopters flew personnel and material to the blaze and dropped 161 tonnes of water on the flames in 83 sorties, it said.
Several firefighters experienced altitude sickness or were injured, including at least one who was treated in a local hospital, it said, adding that the other fires were among factors that impeded the efforts.
The fire on Malunshan, which was reportedly caused by campfire embers, was put out on Wednesday after raging for seven days and destroying 5.4 hectares of woodland, the bureau’s Dongshi Forest District Office said.
The office said that nearly 70 personnel were dispatched to create a 1km-long firebreak.
Lighting fires is forbidden in the area around the Malunshan trail, a popular route among mountain climbers, it said.
Several fires in the area have been caused by hikers cooking food, including a fire in March, it said.
Sixty-two fires in public forests have been reported since January, the highest number for the period on record, the bureau said, adding that most fires were caused by human activity.
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