Off-road bikers help Chinese authorities contain wildfires in Chongqing
Hundreds of volunteer motorcyclists have been involved in helping Chinese authorities control wildfires as the country suffers severe drought.
Motorcyclists in China have been playing a major role in fighting wildfires that have spread across the country over the summer.
China has endured an incredible summer of record-breaking temperatures. For more than 70 days temperatures exceeded 40 Celsius in parts of the country. Its rivers dried, and much of the southern part of the country has been in some degree of drought.
This has meant that wildfires have been prevalent in China over the summer this year, and in the municipality of Chongqing the fight to control them has also involved motorcycle riders.
Bikers helped emergency workers including firefighters get to difficult-to-reach places, and carry supplies to them. Those with dirt bikes have proven especially useful thanks to the difficult terrain that had to be traversed.
A volunteer motorcyclist interviewed by the BBC named Tong said that temperatures in Chongqing reached 42 Celsius, but the fires appeared seemingly without warning.
“All of a sudden, many mountains, maybe seven or eight were all burning,” Tong said. “This is our first time facing such a thing.
“It is rare to see such a persistent heatwave in Chongqing. This wildfire was even more persistent. I couldn’t imagine it. It felt like we were in a movie.”
While approaching the fire, emotions also became a factor. “We saw thick smoke in the sky,” Tong said. “Then we saw fire as we got closer. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid.”
The BBC reports that hundreds of volunteers were involved in assisting authorities in fighting the fires, which were eventually brought under control.
Tong said to the BBC that he thinks that more attention will be paid to environmental concerns in the future. However, the Chinese state media has ignored the heatwave’s negative consequences in its reporting over the summer, preferring instead to focus on the heroic actions of the people involved in bringing terrible situations under control.
Lead image courtesy of CNN.
