Tornado Spreads Fire from Landfill, Igniting Protective Forest

A tornado that emerged during a landfill fire in Nghe An province, Vietnam, carried embers about 100 meters to a protective forest, burning 1.3 hectares of pine trees in Hai Loc commune. Authorities have largely controlled the blaze and are working to extinguish remaining hot spots. On July 20, leaders from Nghe An Urban Environment and Construction Joint Stock Company, the entity managing the Nghi Yen landfill, stated that firefighting forces had basically brought the fire under control. The company is mobilizing personnel for watering and soil filling to suppress smoldering points, limit smoke dispersion, and expects to complete the xử lý by July 21. According to the management, the fire broke out around 1:30 PM on July 19 in landfill cell 4A and spread to cell 4B, covering an area of approximately 10,000 square meters. Hot weather, combined with a large amount of flammable materials in the waste such as lighters, gas canisters, and explosive substances, are believed to be the cause of the outbreak. Local forces deployed water trucks to extinguish the fire. However, a tornado accompanied by strong winds unexpectedly appeared, carrying embers that caused the fire to spread to surrounding areas, including the protective pine forest located about 100 meters from the landfill. Around 400 people, along with 6 specialized vehicles from the fire department, forest rangers, the military, local militia, and residents, were mobilized to participate in firefighting efforts. By approximately 9 PM that day, the forest fire was brought under control. According to leaders of Hai Loc commune, the fire damaged about 1.3 hectares of 7-8-year-old protective pine forest. In addition to the ground litter, many pine trees in the resin tapping period are at risk of dying due to fire damage. The Nghi Yen Solid Waste Treatment Complex is the largest landfill in Nghe An, receiving household waste from the former Vinh city and surrounding areas like Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen, and former Cua Lo. The landfill covers over 50 hectares and comprises 8 cells, operating since 2010 with a processing capacity of about 500 tons of waste per day. Following the incident, waste intake at the landfill has been temporarily interrupted. Authorities in some localities are advising residents to store waste within their premises in lidded containers and refrain from disposing of it into the environment. For the past three days, Nghe An has experienced widespread heatwaves, with temperatures ranging from 35-37 degrees Celsius. In July, the locality has continuously issued warnings for forest fire risks at 'dangerous' and 'extremely dangerous' levels. Source: VnExpress