A staff member from a forest management and protection station, along with an emergency handling team of the Ganjia Lake forest region, patrol the Ganjia Lake forest region in Wusu City of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 4, 2021. (Xinhua/Bai Zhiqiang)
BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Fewer forest fires hit China last year, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Tuesday.
A total of 616 forest fires broke out in China in 2021, with no major blazes recorded, said Peng Xiaoguo, an official with the ministry.
It was the first time the figure dropped below 1,000 since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, said Peng, adding that the total affected forest area and the number of casualties also fell.
In the first quarter of 2022, China reported 103 forest fires and nine grassland fires, fewer than typically recorded, according to the ministry. ■
