Grassland fire kills 22, injures 4 in China
By ANIMonday, December 6, 2010
BEIJING - A fire sweeping across grasslands in Southwest China has reportedly killed 22 people and injured four others.
Among the 22 dead, are 15 soldiers, five villagers and two forest workers.
According to the China Daily, about 85 firefighters and more rescuers have been sent to the site where the fire broke out at about 12:30 p.m. on Sunday in Dawu county in Sichuan’s Garze Tibetan autonomous prefecture.
Soldiers with the independent battalion of the Garze military sub-region of the People’s Liberation Army arrived soon after the fire began, and managed to control the flames at around 3 p.m. However, strong winds began to fan it at 3:10 p.m. trapping the soldiers and villagers.
About 33 hectares of land have been burned in the county’s Zilong village, the paper said. (ANI)
