A forest fire that yesterday broke out in Yunlin County's Gukeng Township (古坑) and had destroyed an estimated 5 hectares of woodland after having burned for more than 26 hours was today gradually being brought under control, officials said.
The Yunlin County Fire Department said it received a report at about 7am of a fire in a mountainous area behind Shibi Hotel (also known as the Rocky Hotel) in Caoling Village (草嶺) and immediately dispatched crews.
Firefighting efforts were hampered by a lack of nearby water sources and the area's steep, rugged terrain, officials said.
Photo courtesy of the Yunlin County Fire Department
The fire was about a 10-minute walk from the hotel, within a tract of primary forest, hotel staff said.
The blaze might have been sparked when workers harvesting bamboo lit a fire to keep warm in the cold weather, they said.
The blaze was briefly brought under control yesterday afternoon, and an application was made to the National Fire Agency for helicopter support, the fire department said.
However, aerial operations could not be carried out, due to unstable winds and fading light, it said.
Three helicopter sorties were flown this morning to dump water on the fires, while staff and resources from the Fenqihu Station under the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Chiayi branch were also used, the fire department said.
The fire has gradually come under control, officials said.
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