Investigation reveals details of Chongqing wildfires

In recent days, several wildfires have struck Chongqing, including the municipality's Jiangjin, Dazu, Tongliang and Banan districts. Investigations show some of the fires were caused by spontaneous combustion in forests.

According to a report by Chongqing Daily on Tuesday, Bai Ye, deputy director of the Forest Fire Research Center of the China Fire and Rescue Institute, said spontaneous combustion caused by extreme hot weather is an important factor for frequent wildfires in Chongqing.

"The sudden, devastating and risky forest fire is one of the world's most frequent, intractable and destructive natural disasters," Bai said.

Bai said combustion can be triggered by internal heat sources such as peat fermentation and ore beds, as well as external factors such as light gathering and vegetation self-ignition.

All districts and counties in Chongqing have issued forest and prairie fire alerts and forest entry bans. Fire or any activity that is likely to cause fire is strictly prohibited.