China spends heavily on extinguishing coalfield fires

URUMQI - China plans to invest nearly 80 million yuan ($12.6 million) this year to put out underground fires in three coalfields in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

The move will help protect the local environment and coal resources, according to the Xinjiang Coalfield Fire Fighting Project Office.

The fire area of the three coal fields covers a total of 1.42 million square meters, burning 890,000 tonnes of coal annually.

Xinjiang has vowed to put out all fires in the three coal fields by 2020.

The region has put out fire in a total of 12.65 million square meters of coalfields since 1958, reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases by 400 million tonnes as well as toxic gas and smoke dust by 40 million tonnes.

Xinjiang has an estimated 2.19 trillion tonnes of coal reserves, but has suffered serious coalfield fires. Currently, Xinjiang has 46 sites with coalfield fires.