After nearly two weeks of firefighting, forest fires in Sichuan’s Yajiang County were reported extinguished on Thursday morning, according to the local emergency management bureau.
“It was extremely hard to put out these recent fires,” says Cheng Xueli, a front-line firefighter, “owing to the high altitude, dense forest, and erratic and strong winds.”
As a member of Sichuan province’s firefighting service, Cheng was called upon to fight the conflagration, which began on March 15. He also recorded his fellow firefighters as they tackled the disaster via photos and videos. “I thought I should record this historic and particularly high mountain forest fire,” he says.
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Among the 148 operations in his 17-year career, Cheng states that the fires in Yajiang — at 4,000 to 4,700 meters above sea level — were the highest he’s witnessed. “Part of the fireground was even covered with snow,” Cheng tells Sixth Tone.
The high altitude proved a challenge to Cheng and his colleagues, who had mostly traveled in from Sichuan’s provincial capital Chengdu, where the altitude only reaches around 500 meters. Almost all 100 team members suffered from altitude sickness, with symptoms spanning headaches to trouble sleeping. As they were not able to use the oxygen tanks at the fire site, the firefighters could only take Rhodiola rosea pills — believed to reduce the effects of altitude sickness — or drink cola for relief.
Sixth Tone selected 28 photos taken by Cheng documenting the forest fire in Yajiang.
The wildfires as they raged on through the night in Yajiang County, Sichuan province, March 24, 2024.
Firefighters battle the wildfire on the mountains in the “No. 3 fire zone,” March 21, 2024.
Firefighters battle the wildfire on the mountains, March 21, 2024.
Firefighters on the mountains, March 19, 2024.
Left: Firefighters helped stop the wildfire from spreading to residential areas and pristine forests at an altitude of over 4,300 meters, March 19, 2024; Right: A helicopter operates flies above the “No. 3 fire zone,” March 21, 2024.
Firefighters break ice and clear the way for rescue vehicles in the “No. 2 fire zone,” March 17, 2024.
The forests, at an altitude of over 4,200 meters, smolder after the fires, March 19, 2024.
Birds return to the village after the fires, March 20, 2024.
Rescue vehicles drive on Yajiang’s high plateau, March 20, 2024.
A firefighter is pictured blackened by smoke after fighting the fires, March 19, 2024.
Firefighters climb the mountains, March 21, 2024.
The forests after the fires, March 21, 2024.
The wildfires in Yajiang County, Sichuan province, March 17, 2024.
Firefighter Yu Yongtai looks at a marriage photo of him and his wife, who is recently pregnant, March 25, 2024.
Firefighters take a short break in the “No. 2 fire zone,” March 23, 2024.
A firefighter takes a break, March 23, 2024.
Left: A damaged tree after the fires; Right: A firefighter holds a small apple during a break, March 23, 2024.
Firefighters take a break, March 23, 2024.
Firefighter Zeren Zaxi (right) and Xie Liming, a young man from Bajiaolou Village, discuss the situation in the “No. 4 fire zone," March 23, 2024.
Forty-seven-year-old Xu Chunying (right) and other local villagers deliver hot meals to the rescue team, March 25, 2024.
Houses destroyed by the wildfire in Yajiang County, March 25, 2024.
Firefighter Li Lu patrols and clears a fire zone, March 21, 2024.
A rainbow in the “No. 3 fire zone,” March 21, 2024.
Editor: Tom Arnstein.
