Firefighters struggle to put out Yunlin forest fire

Taipei, Jan. 14 (CNA) A forest fire that broke out in Yunlin County's Gukeng Township early Monday has been brought under control but continued to burn sporadically Wednesday as firefighting teams struggled with the area's harsh terrain and lack of water.

The Yunlin County Fire Department said the burned area had not expanded beyond an estimated eight hectares of woodland as of Tuesday afternoon, after putting the damage at five hectares earlier Tuesday morning.

On Wednesday, however, small blazes were still detected below a high-altitude wooden skywalk within a restricted area, and open flames were also reported in bamboo groves above the mountainous area's Shoutian Temple.

Firefighting operations continued during the day, with ground crews divided into two teams to contain and monitor the fire in forested areas and near the temple.

As of around 8 a.m., air crews had completed three additional water-dropping runs, the department said.

• Forest fire in Yunlin burns 5 hectares of land in 26 hours

The fire began early Monday morning in mountainous forestland behind the Shibi Hotel (also known as the Rocky Hotel) in Caoling Village, but the cause of the fire has yet to be determined and remains under investigation, the department said.

Firefighting operations have been hampered by the lack of nearby water sources and the area's steep, rugged terrain, which has forced firefighters to hike to the site on foot and complicated containment efforts, officials said.

On Tuesday, firefighters, volunteer fire brigades and Caoling residents joined forces at the scene, helicopters carried out a total of 13 water drops, helping to eventually bring the fire under control, the department said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, amid concerns that vegetation loss and reduced soil and water conservation on sloped areas affected by the fire could increase the risk of landslides and threaten area residents, the Yunlin County Agricultural Department said it would begin forest restoration efforts once safety alerts were lifted.