Five people are dead following a massive brush fire on a mountain overlooking Dalian, Liaoning in China’s northeast that filled the sky with smoke and could be seen ten kilometers away.
The fire broke out yesterday afternoon on the south slope of Dahei Mountain at around two o’clock in Dalian’s Jinzhou county area. Area residents were all evacuated, with the closest home located not 500 meters away from the fire.
Around 300 professional forest firefighters were deployed and managed to extinguish the blaze by 5:50pm. Eyewitnesses say the fire spread quickly due to heavy wind conditions.
A firefighter in charge of the operation suspects the fire was caused by a campfire at a picnic site. An official investigation is pending.
At 663 meters high, Dahei Mountain is the only mountain in south Liaoning, and is revered as a location of great cultural and spiritual value.
