2010 Guangxi Wildfire

The 2010 Guangxi Wildfire occurred in western Guangxi, China during that year's spring season.

Background

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On Thursday, March 3, 2010, a wildfire ignited in the mountainous county of Longlin in Guangxi, China. Drought had already begun to impact the area previously, and the dry weather and lack of water contributed to the fire's success.[1][2] The wildfire burned large volumes of forests and brush until it was finally put out six days and twenty-two hours later.[3]

Effects

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According to Longlin County's fire control headquarters, a day after its ignition the fire had already burned 1,400 Mu (or about 93 hectares or 229 acres) of forestland, with a front spanning 5.3 kilometers. The fire was also heading towards the Zhongshan National Nature Reserve, where over two hundred of the endangered black-necked pheasant lived and were at risk of being affected by the traveling flames.[3]

Along with the area's locals, over one hundred firefighters and a Mi-26 helicopter were employed to suppress the fire.

After the fire was suppressed, the drought continued to worsen in the southern China region, especially in Guangxi.[4][5] Two months after the fire, torrential rain caused flash floods and landslides in the same area.[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ Xinhua; Xuequan, Mu (26 February 2010). "More efforts needed to fight drought in SW China, says vice premier". Reliefweb.int. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  2. ^ Oxfam (2 March 2010). "Oxfam provides water in China's worst drought in decades: 10 Million people short of drinking water". Reliefweb.int. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b Xinhua. "S China forest fire threatens nature reserve". chinadaily.com. China Daily Information Co. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  4. ^ Xinhua (29 March 2010). "Severe drought expands in S China region". Reliefweb.int. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  5. ^ a b International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies. "China: Floods Information bulletin no 1" (PDF). Reliefweb.int. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  6. ^ NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: Global Hazards for June 2010, published online July 2010, retrieved on November 23, 2015 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/hazards/201006.