In the midst of weeks of record-breaking heat in the area, thousands of rescuers are fighting quickly growing flames in the southwest Chinese city of Chongqing.
The flames, which in recent days have consumed the woods and mountains around the city, were formerly visible at night from several locations in the city centre.
On social media, some in downtown Chongqing expressed their complaints about the smell of smoke coming from their flats, while others shared pictures of burning ashes from bonfires reaching their balconies.
Since August 18, there have been several distant regions where forest fires have started, according to local officials. In the municipality, there are more over 32 million residents.
According to reports from Tuesday morning, local officials have not yet reported any injuries and have claimed that the flames are under control.
According to official news agency Xinhua, more than 1,500 people have been relocated to safe regions, and 5,000 firemen, police, municipal authorities, and volunteers as well as seven firefighting aircraft have been sent to battle the blazes.
A directive prohibiting burning and acts that could start flames had been issued by all of Chongqing’s districts and counties as of Tuesday.
According to Bai Ye, a professor at China’s Forest and Grassland Fire Prevention and Suppression Research Center, the fires in Chongqing were started by “spontaneous combustion,” which was mostly brought on by exceptionally high temperatures, according to the state-run Beijing Daily.
The flames are just another repercussion of a scorching heat wave that has raced over sections of China’s southwest, centre, and east in recent weeks, reaching temperatures of above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in more than 100 cities.
Additionally, they are a component of a worldwide pattern of wildfires that have consumed regions from Australia to California.
Scientists claim that the danger of these occurrences is growing as a result of human-caused climate change.
The drought that has affected the economically significant Yangtze River and its adjacent waterways has also contributed to decreased hydroelectric capacity and increased demand for air conditioning as a result of China’s heatwave.
Sichuan province, which borders Chongqing, earlier this week prolonged brief power disruptions at companies in 19 of the 21 cities in the area.
According to local officials, this extension of the power outage until at least Thursday will guarantee home electricity.
At order to preserve power, Chengdu, the province capital, started lowering the lights in metro stations last week.
According to official media, Chongqing announced a seven-day suspension of companies beginning last Wednesday.
The current trend of high temperatures is still present.
China issued a red heat warning on Tuesday morning, the strongest of the four colour designations, for at least 165 cities and counties nationwide.
The China Meteorological Administration predicts that in these cities, the temperature would rise beyond 40 degrees Celsius during the next 24 hours.
The second-highest orange warning has been issued by 373 more cities or counties in China, according to the government, which emphasised that temperatures exceeding 37 degrees Celsius are anticipated in these places for the next three days.
In a statement on Tuesday, China’s Central Meteorological Observatory encouraged citizens to restrict outdoor activities in the heat and avoid working outside.
The heat this summer has reportedly harmed more than 900 million people in China, according to government officials.