WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1982
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WARNING ABOUT COUNTRYSIDE FIRES
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VISITORS TO THE COUNTRYSIDE WERE TOLD TODAY (WEDNESDAY) TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO PREVENT HILL FIRES WHICH COULD CAUSE EXTENSIVE DESTRUCTION OF VEGETATION, DAMAGE TO LANDSCAPE AND LOSS OF NATURAL HABITAT FOR BIRDS AND ANIMALS.
COUNTRYSIDE USERS CAUSED MORE THAN 1 000 FIRES LAST YEAR RESULTING IN A LOSS OF OVER 70 000 TREES, SAID THE ACTING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (CONSERVATION AND COUNTRY PARKS) OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES, MR K.C. !U.
SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN THE TAI LAM COUNTRY PARK TO LAUNCH THE 1982-83 COUNTRYSIDE FIRE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN, MR TU SAID OVER THE YEARS, THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HAD DEVELOPED AN EFFICIENT FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM TO MINIMISE FIRE DAMAGE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE.
+HOWEVER, EVEN AN EFFECTIVE DETECTION AND REPORTING SYSTEM, TRAINED FIRE FIGHTERS, MODERN FIRE FIGHTING METHODS AND EQUIPMENT COULD BE RENDERED INEFFECTIVE IF PEOPLE DID NOT OBSERVE A FEW SIMPLE PRECAUTIONS, HE ADDED.
MR IU WARNED THAT LEGAL ACTIONS MIGHT BE TAKEN AGAINST THOSE WHO CAUSED HILL FIRES.
A MAXIMUM FINE OF $5 000 AND ONE YEAR'S IMPRISONMENT COULD BE IMPOSED FOR ILLEGAL LIGHTING OF FIRES IN THE COUNTRYSIDE,
HE REMINDED GRAVE WORSHIPPERS TO TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS DUR INË THE CHUNG YEUNG FESTIVAL.
+BURNING JOSS STICKS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE CAUSED HILL FIRES THAT BURNED FOR DAYS, ENTAILING ROUND-THE-CLOCK FIRE FIGHTING.
+ALL WE ASK IS A LITTLE CARE, A LITTLE THOUGHT AND A LITTLE RESPONSIBILITY, HE SAID.
AFTER THE PRESS CONFERENCE, CONTROLLED FIRE FIGHTING DEMONSTRATIONS WERE STAGED FOR THE MEDIA.
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