Approximately 30 hectares of acacia forest were lost in a fire in Ha Tinh Province, a disaster that could end up costing one family hundreds of millions of dong.
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| Viet now guards the area 24/7 to prevent further incidents. |
Tran Viet of the town of Huong Khe, the owner of the forested land, was informed in the early afternoon on June 14 that a fire had broken out on his acacia plantation on Dong Choi Hill, Huong Xuan Commune, Huong Khe District. Viet then discovered that what he thought to be over 50 hectares of his plantation had been consumed by intense blazes, apparently with multiple sources of the fire coming from different directions. The situation was worsened by hot gusting winds that often hit the area this time of year.
Viet and his family laboured for hours before finally managing to stamp out the fire. In the end just over 20 hectares of his plantation were saved. Viet estimated that his losses due to the fire will amount to hundreds of millions dong.
Viet attested that the fire was not an accident. "I'm sure somebody is trying to bring down my family," he said, adding, "Just a few months ago, several of our acacia trees were cut down and taken away under suspicious circumstances."
In order to protect what remains of the plantation, Viet has arranged to have 24-hour watchmen guard the area day and night. He reported the incident to Huong Khe District's Police and requested that an investigation be carried out to track down the offender.
