At about 6 p.m. on Saturday, a forest fire broke out in a village in Mu Li, Liangshan. The local government acted quickly and 689 people were sent to put out the fire. Fire groups were fighting the fire on Sunday when a sudden change of wind direction caused ＂a huge fireball＂. 27 firefighters and 3 locals lost their lives. Most of the firefighters were in their twenties and two of them were less than twenty, though several were older. Their death touched our hearts all over China. There is reason enough to regard them as heroes. President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and many other leaders cared for the heroes and expressed condolence to the heroes' families and friends.
We should remember all the heroes and their spirit, bravery showed in fighting the fire. As the old saying goes: a nation is lost without its memories. Forest fires are common in spring, rules to prevent fires have come out in Liangshan. Many experts believe there are some reasons for forest fires. The first reason is weather change. Warmer and drier weather leads to dangerous fire conditions. Next, lightening is another reason. Dry grass and trees easily catch fire. Finally, hot winds add to the possibility of forest fires. The wind spreads a fire quickly. However, 90% of forest fires are caused by humans, according to a report. Forest fires can burn at over 9000 C and reach heights of more than 50 meters. Forest fires can move at speeds of up to 23 kilometers an hour, burning everything—trees, brush, homes, even people… Experts remind people to be careful during the holiday of Qingming, known as Tomb Sweeping Day. Millions of people travel to their homes during the holiday, so the risks of fires in mountains are high.
In order to keep the heart-broken lesson in mind, we should stop fires from happening again.
