SUNDAY, MAY 27,
1984
6
LARGE NUMBER OF COUNTRY PARK FIRES REPORTED ******
MORE THAN 430 FIRES BROKE OUT WITHIN OR NEAR COUNTRY PARKS DURING THE FIRE-HAZARD SEASON BETWEEN LAST SEPTEMBER AND APRIL THIS YEAR.
THIS FIGURE IS MORE THAN TWICE THE 204 FIRES RECORDED FOR THE PREVIOUS CORRESPONDING PERIOD.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THE TOTAL AREA AFFECTED INCREASED FIVEFOLD, FROM ABOUT 1 000 HECTARES TO 5 250 HECTARES, MOSTLY OF GRASS AND LOW SCRUBS LAND.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT TYPHOON ELLEN IN SEPTEMBER UPROOTED A LARGE NUMBER OF TREES AND TORE OFF MANY BRANCHES, ADDING MORE COMBUSTIBLE FUEL IN THE COUNTRYSIDE.
ALTHOUGH THE WET WEATHER LAST OCTOBER REDUCED FIRE RISKS DURING THE CHUNG YEUNG FESTIVAL, IT SHORTENED THE PERIOD OF TIME AVAILABLE FOR CONTROLLED BURNING AND OTHER FIRE-HAZARD REDUCTION WORK IN THE COUNTRYSIDE.
THE WET OCTOBER WAS FOLLOWED BY A PROLONGED PERIOD OF EXTREMELY DRY AND WINDY WEATHER, WHICH RESULTED IN A LARGE NUMBER OF HILL FIRES AT THE END OF NOVEMBER.
CONSEQUENTLY, FOUR COUNTRY PARKS AND A NATURE RESERVE WERE CLOSED FROM EARLY DECEMBER. THEY WERE THE SHING MUN, TAI MO SHAN, TAI LAM AND POK FU LAM COUNTRY PARKS AND THE TAI PO KAU NATURE RESERVE.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT WITH THE CLOSURE, THE NUMBER OF FIRES IN COUNTRY PARKS WAS REDUCED BY HALF.
+THE CLOSURE WAS ACCEPTED BY THE PUBLIC WITH UNDERSTANDING, AND MADE USERS OF OTHER COUNTRY PARKS MORE FIRE-CONSCIOUS,+ HE SAID.
DURING THE PERIOD, A TOTAL OF 3 552 VEGETATION AND HILL FIRES, INCLUDING THOSE WITHIN OR NEAR COUNTRY PARKS, WERE RECORDED.
THIS LARGE NUMBER OF FIRES SEVERELY STRETCHED THE RESOURCES OF THE FIRE SERVICES AND AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENTS, HE SAID.
HELICOPTERS OF THE ROYAL HONG KONG AUXILIARY AIR FORCE AND THE ROYAL AIR FORCE CARRIED OUT 184 WATER-BOMBING AND 14 AIR-LIFTIN OPERATIONS.
DURING THE SEASON UNDER REVIEW, 124 PEOPLE WERE CHARGED WITH THE ILLEGAL USE OF FIRES IN COUNTRY PARKS.
17