The Bac Yen District People's Committee reported on Tuesday afternoon that the fire occurred at 5 pm on February 19 at a forest in Chim Van Commune.
Firefighters were sent to the site and managed to bring the fire under control by the early morning of February 20. However, over 54 hectares of protective forest had been destroyed by the fire.
Local authorities are investigating the cause of the fire while calling on better preventive measures during this dry weather.
On February 19 and 20, two forest fires also occurred at the Hoang Lien Son National Park and Sapa Town in Lao Cai Province, destroying over 30 hectares of forest.
According to the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, the northwestern region is facing a heat wave with dry weather, posing the risk of fire.
