Local residents gather to see off 304 firefighters from the Yunnan provincial forest fire brigade, who left Beibei district, Chongqing, on Sunday. (YANG JIAN/FOR CHINA DAILY)

Volunteers play key role in fighting blazes on mountain

Chongqing, a city of more than 32 million people, faced an unprecedented test this summer, with a heat wave and drought causing a series of large wildfires since Aug 17.

Local residents have safeguarded their hometown in every way possible, with thousands of volunteers from all walks of life fighting the fires with professionals.

Under a scorching sun, some residents used chain saws to fell trees to make fire barriers. Others rode motorcycles on newly formed paths to take firefighters and supplies up a mountain, while some volunteers carried food and drinks on their backs by foot.

Women and children helped organize supplies and clear the ground, and performed other essential tasks.

On Thursday night, as wildfires approached a man-made barrier on Jinyun Mountain in Beibei district, a total of more than 1,000 firefighters and volunteers stood alongside the barrier with fire extinguishers. Seen from overhead, their lights formed a silver wall against the raging fire line.

An aerial photo shows the lights of firefighters' helmets as the wildfire approaches a fire barrier in Beibei district of Chongqing on Thursday. ZHOU XUAN/FOR CHINA DAILY

The residents' stories have touched many people.

"Chongqing people are really amazing," said Du Hailang, head of the Beijing Emergency Rescue Association, an NGO founded in 2007 that has taken part in many overseas rescue operations.

Du and 10 other members of the association joined the fire rescue team in Chongqing last week.

"The man-made wall was unbelievable, but shocking. It really showed Chinese people's determination to defend their homeland," Du said.

Zou Yu, from the Chongqing Emergency Management Bureau, said at a news conference that by Friday morning, the wildfires in the city had been extinguished and efforts were being made to prevent new ones from breaking out.

He said Chongqing had witnessed several forest wildfires this summer due to the worst heat wave and drought since 1961, when such statistics were first recorded.

"The city has experienced record-high local temperatures, with those in Beibei district reaching 45 C.Temperatures in Chongqing had been above 40 C for 15 days as of Thursday. Thirty-one of the total 38 districts and counties experienced lingering heat and drought as well as low precipitation, with 70 percent less rainfall than average recorded," Zou said.

The local government set up forest fire rescue headquarters, organized local professional forces and forest fire teams from neighboring Yunnan, Gansu and Sichuan provinces, and more than 20,000 Party and government cadres, militia and volunteers to fight the fires, he added.

Volunteers carry supplies up Jinyun Mountain on Thursday to help quell the fire in the Beibei district of Chongqing. LI YE/FOR CHINA DAILY

Popular area

Jinyun Mountain is one of the most popular outdoor areas for Chongqing residents. Located in Wentang Gorge alongside the Jialing River and known for its rosy clouds, the mountain forms a natural barrier with the urban area. In ancient times, it was known as Mount Ba.

The mountain's beautiful scenery has attracted numerous poets and its name has often appeared in their work.

With 96.6 percent forest coverage, the Jinyun Mountain Natural Reserve has a rich diversity of species. It boasts a well-preserved subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest landscape and a relatively stable ecosystem.

The wildfire that broke out in Jinyun on Aug 21 posed a threat to everyone in Chongqing.

Chen Yiyong, who runs a wood carving factory in Beibei, is experienced in using chain saws. He immediately signed up to fell trees after receiving a recruitment notice from the local government. Chen and two workers, who are all in their 40s, collected chain saws and headed to the mountain.

"Beibei is my home area and I must protect it," he said.

Motorcycles took the trio halfway up the mountain, before they climbed for nearly two hours to reach the work site. Their clothes were soaked in sweat.

Chen said: "The fire was getting close, but we were so anxious that we forgot just how tired we were－and also about the heat. We just kept felling trees and tried our best to help build man-made barriers."

Much to their surprise, they were offered cold drinks and even ice cream as well as prompt medical attention on the mountain, thanks to the efforts of volunteers.

"We had nothing to worry about, and more than enough supplies," Chen said.

He added that although the volunteers went to the scene individually, they followed guidance from the rescue headquarters.

A chain of volunteers passes supplies up Jinyun Mountain on Thursday. [Photo/China Daily]

"Solidarity is power. We can conquer everything if we unite," Chen said.

Chongqing, a traditional industrial powerhouse, is famed for its auto industry and is known as the motorcycle capital of China. One of the few major motorcycle-friendly cities nationwide, it hosts an annual national motorcycle trade fair, which attracts riders from across the country.

Faced with the steep mountain and unpaved roads, Chongqing motorcyclists played a key role in transporting firefighters and supplies.

Carrying bamboo baskets on their backs, they were nicknamed "the bamboo basket riders." Most of them－men in their 20s－came from different walks of life, such as delivery riders, businessmen and teachers.

Due to the challenging rescue conditions, most women and those under 18 worked at supply and assembly stations at the foot of the mountain.

They sorted and allocated all kinds of supplies. After the fire was extinguished on Saturday, they went up the mountain to bring down rubbish.

A motorcyclist carries a firefighter up the mountain on Friday. TANG YI/XINHUA

Shen Tongcheng, 15, will start high school next month. His father volunteered as a chain saw operator working on the mountain, while Shen and his elder sister started to collect rubbish at the rescue station on Friday.

"I wanted to do something to contribute after I saw some little kids, probably primary school students, collecting rubbish at the rescue station," Chen said.

The outstanding work of the volunteers and the hospitality of local residents impressed the firefighters.

Bai Xueguang, from Gansu Forest Fire Brigade, said, "I never imagined that I would have popsicles and cold drinks at a fire rescue site."

Zhou Hongyu, from Yunnan Forest Fire Brigade, said every volunteer he met at the scene asked him if he needed anything.

"It was the first time I had taken a motorcycle to reach a fire scene. We really appreciate the locals' hospitality. Their support has been wonderful," Zhou said.

Motorcyclists take supplies to the front line of the fire on Tuesday. [Photo/China Daily]

International support

The fire on Jinyun Mountain drew attention from the international community in Chongqing.

On Tuesday, a day after the fire broke out, Francis Stonier, 42, who comes from the United States and is associate professor in the Education Department at Southwest University, which is located at the foot of the mountain, signed up for the chain saw team to help create fire barriers.

He and his university colleagues checked and adjusted about 50 chain saws, which were delivered to fire and rescue workers before being taken to the mountain by volunteer motorcyclists to fell trees.

Stonier's story impressed Yasir Cheena, a 31-year-old Pakistani businessman living in Chongqing.

"I am an outdoor person and very close to nature. When I heard about the fire, I was so sad," Cheena said.

After he saw video footage of Stonier performing volunteer work at the fire scene, Cheena asked his Chinese friends how he could become a volunteer.

Firefighters from neighboring Yunnan province head toward the fire scene in Chongqing on Thursday. [Photo/China Daily]

On Saturday, hundreds of people were still busy completing their work at the Beibei fire scene, where they monitored the ashes and cleared rubbish from the mountain in temperatures that were still above 40 C.

Cheena joined a local volunteer group of 60 people in the morning to carry water up the mountain for the firefighters and volunteers guarding the fire sites.

Wearing a yellow vest and a towel soaked in water on his neck to keep cool, Cheena worked for about six hours carrying water in a large backpack. He was deeply impressed by the efforts of local residents.

"I met people who are not so keen on outdoor life, and who are not that athletic, but they all took part in the rescue effort and did their best to help," he said.

"It was pretty amazing and kind of surprising for me to see so many young volunteers."

A French motorcyclist, named only as Jeremy by local media, carried fire extinguishers, water and medical supplies up the mountain.

"I have been here day and night for three days," he said in a video on the Douyin social media platform on Friday. "I go home and sleep for four to five hours and then come back."

The Frenchman, who has been in China for about nine years, lives in Beibei. He likes to hike on Jinyun Mountain with his family, and told local media the mountain is like an old friend and he hopes it can recover from the fires soon.