A forest fire in Yushan National Park (玉山國家公園) that has been burning since last weekend has spread, with the Forestry Bureau and local authorities deploying firefighters and aircraft in the area of Taiwan’s highest mountain at up to 3,952m.
The fire was first reported on Sunday, when about 1.5 hectares of forest were on fire, and has since spread to bushland in higher altitudes. As of yesterday, 52 hectares were on fire.
Chiayi Forest District Office deputy director Lee Ting-chung (李定忠) said that it was hard to predict when firefighters would be able to put out the flames.
Photo courtesy of the Chiayi Forest District Office via CNA
“The firefighting teams comprise forest rangers and forest patrol officers, as they have experience in mountainous terrain and are less likely than firefighters from other areas to experience altitude sickness,” Lee said, adding that their efforts would be suspended during the night as it was to dangerous for supply helicopters to fly.
Helicopters from the National Airborne Service Corps, the Ministry of the Interior and the military’s Airborne Special Service Company have been employed, Lee said.
Firefighters have created firebreaks, Lee said, adding that the wind in the area tends to shift, making the fire’s spread unpredictable.
The fire likely started on Sunday morning at Dujyuan Campground on the Batongguan Historic Trail (八通關古道), east of Yushan’s main summit, park officials said, citing reports by forest rangers and hikers.
The Forestry Bureau has formed a special taskforce to coordinate the firefighting efforts, which are led by the Chiayi office, as most of the area ablaze is in the county.
Authorities said that hikers might have involuntarily started the fire while cooking with a portable stove, which is prohibited at the campground.
Five hikers who were found using stoves in the area on Sunday might face charges for breaching the National Park Law (國家公園法) and the Forestry Act (森林法), which stipulates fines of up to NT$300,000 and prison terms of up to two years for involuntarily causing a forest fire.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS