China News Service, Haikou, March 30 (Reporter Wang Ziqian) The peak of Qingming Festival sweeping is approaching. The reporter learned from the press conference on the 2026 Qingming Festival sweeping work in Hainan Province on the 30th that the province’s emergency and fire departments have taken multiple measures to do a good job in preventing and extinguishing forest fires during the Qingming Festival.
Li Haiming, director of the Fire Prevention and Control Management Division of the Hainan Provincial Department of Emergency Management, said that currently, Hainan Province has entered a period of high forest fire risk. During the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, due to the combined effects of fire for sacrificial sweeps, fire for outings, and high temperature weather, the situation of forest fire prevention and extinguishing is severe and complex.
He said that according to the forecast of the meteorological department, before the Qingming Festival and during the holidays, the forest fire risk meteorological level will be high in most areas of Hainan Island, with the forest fire risk meteorological level in Danzhou and Baisha reaching level 5 (extremely flammable). There are more windy days, making it easy for fires to spread and difficult to put out. During the Qingming Festival, traditional behaviors such as burning incense, paper, and setting off firecrackers are still common in Hainan. In addition, the number of people going outing and camping in the mountains has increased, making it more difficult to control wild fires, and the risk of fires caused by illegal use of fire has increased significantly.
Hainan's forest areas are vast and scattered, and it is difficult to inspect some remote mountainous areas and scattered cemeteries. Grassroots prevention and control forces need to be further decentralized, and the task of building a comprehensive fire prevention line is arduous. Li Haiming said that according to data from previous years, the number of fires in Hainan Province increased significantly during the Qingming Festival compared with normal days, and fire prevention work is urgent.
He said that in order to prevent and control the occurrence of forest fires during the Qingming Festival, the Hainan Provincial Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief Committee Office will carry out inspections and inspections on forest fire prevention and firefighting during the Qingming Festival, and coordinate forestry, public security and other departments to "check at the sight of smoke, punish at the sight of fire, and arrest violations" for illegal use of fire in the wild, so as to reduce the occurrence of fires from the root cause. The province's emergency response system will strictly implement the 24-hour duty and leadership system, quickly initiate emergency response in case of fire, and promptly dispatch the nearest team for disposal.
Zhang Gang, deputy chief of the Hainan Provincial Fire and Rescue Corps, said that the fire rescue department has established a "1+1" forest fire fighting force system, that is, a cross-city and county reinforcement force to fight forest fires, with a total of 18 fire echelons and 440 people; a cross-provincial forest fire reinforcement force, including 10 vehicles of the Haikou Fire Rescue Mobile Detachment with 200 people, and the Provincial Fire Rescue Corps with 26 vehicles of 200 people. The fire echelon teams are scientifically and rationally deployed for disposal.
He said that in order to consolidate emergency response capabilities, Hainan's fire rescue teams are equipped with a total of 361 fire-fighting fire trucks; more than 850 fire-fighting equipment such as wind-powered fire extinguishers, portable water fire-fighting devices, mobile water cannons, and fire-fighting robots; more than 300 communication equipment such as satellite portable stations, satellite phones, and reconnaissance drones; and more than 360 pieces (sets) of water supply equipment such as remote water supply, high-power motor pumps, and mobile water bladders. (over)
