Smoking Sparks Mountain Fire, Police and Residents Join Forces to Put It Out

Staff report (Reporter Zhang Liuniu) At around 9:10 a.m. on August 26, thick smoke was seen rising from a hillside about 1,000 meters east of Fengdu Railway Station. Tang Cong, the instructor of the Fengdu Station police office, immediately led three police officers to the scene to investigate.

When the officers climbed the slope, they found the mountain fire crackling as it burned. The affected area had already spread to more than 1,000 square meters, leaving behind a stretch of charred ground. With the Yuli Railway located just 50 meters to the south at the foot of the slope, the situation was critical. The officers quickly called 119 and reported the fire to the Fengdu County Forest Police Bureau, the Fengdu County Public Security Bureau, and the local railway maintenance department to request support.

The officers then immediately broke off tree branches and used an iron shovel they had brought with them to beat down the flames. They also removed dry grass and other flammable materials near the railway protective fence to create a firebreak. Nearly 10 employees from the Fengdu track maintenance section of the Fuling Public Works Department arrived with fire extinguishers to assist, and several villagers from Dingzhuang Village, Sanhe Town, also joined in the firefighting effort. After more than half an hour of work, the blaze was finally extinguished.

An investigation later found that the fire was caused by a 77-year-old man surnamed Qin, who had gone up the mountain to collect firewood and carelessly discarded a cigarette butt. He has now been handed over to the Fengdu County Forest Police Bureau.