International Charter activated for forest fires in China

The International Charter Space and Major Disasters has been activated for forest fires in China on 4 June.

Wildfires have broken out in the mountainous region of the northern Chinese province of Inner Mongolia. A prolonged period of high temperatures and dry conditions fuelled the forest fires, which have spread to over 5,000 hectares due to high winds.

Strong and changing winds have made firefighting treacherous and over 4,000 people have been deployed to tackle the fires.

The Charter activation request was made by the National Disaster Reduction Center of China and the project managers will be the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the National Disaster Reduction Centre of China (NDRCC).