Firefighters contain fire in China’s mountains where 30 died

Firefighters contain fire in China’s mountains where 30 died
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a fire-fighting helicopter leaves on a mission to fight aforest fire in the Muli County in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture from an airport in Xichang, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Monday, April 1, 2019. (AP)
Updated 02 April 2019
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Firefighters contain fire in China’s mountains where 30 died

Firefighters contain fire in China’s mountains where 30 died
  • Changing winds Sunday apparently trapped the 27 firefighters and three helpers

BEIJING: Firefighters have contained a blaze high in the rugged forested mountains of western China that claimed the lives of 30 of their colleagues.
State media say open flames had been extinguished and only a few areas continued to emit smoke as of Tuesday with no further threat of the fire spreading.
The bodies of the dead firefighters were brought to the town of Xichang in Sichuan province, while three helicopters had brought in reinforcements to extinguish the blaze for good.
Changing winds Sunday apparently trapped the 27 firefighters and three helpers.
The death toll appeared to be the worst among firefighters since 2015, when an explosion at a chemical warehouse in the port of Tianjin killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and other first responders.