Chongqing - "All open fires on the mountain have been extinguished, and we are checking points that could rekindle the fire," said Liu Yi, captain of the Blue Sky Rescue Team in Chongqing's Dazu District. He was leading the team on a mission when the phone call was made on August 25, and he had stood in the fireline for five days and four nights, and his voice was slightly hoarse.
Liu Yi put out the hill fire on the front line. (Photo provided to iChongqing)
Liu Yi, a 34-year-old veteran, had served in an extraordinary force for eight years. Over the years, he participated in many relief missions for earthquakes, floods, and other disasters. Then, in 2020, he joined Blue Sky Rescue Team and became their captain due to his extensive experience.
On August 20, a fire erupted in a mountain forest in Dazu District. He was on vacation with his family in Shizhu County at the time. As soon as he received the message, he set off immediately and drove overnight to rush back. Despite the raging fire, he hurried to the field to rescue his teammates, helping to extinguish the blaze.
Blue Sky Rescue Team helped the firefighters to extinct fires at night. (Photo provided to iChongqing)
To prevent the fire from spreading further to the nearby village, Liu said, "On the 20, we delivered relief supplies and drilled a 200 meter-long, 50 meter-wide isolation belt to prevent it from spreading. We then worked with the firefighters to extinguish a few fire points and paved pipelines to deliver cooling ice and sunstroke prevention drugs. We started digging a new isolation belt on the 24 after extinguishing fires on two hills."
The team assisted in opening new barriers. (Photo provided to iChongqing)
Their task is more complicated and demanding than in the past. It is challenging to work in temperatures over 40 degrees centigrade, and the rescue team members suffered sunstroke, and patches of salt formed on their clothing from sweat.
The team put out the raging fire until August 25. Blue Sky Rescue Team, which Liu Yi leads, has been dispatched 192 times to stay on the front lines of firefighting for five days and four nights.
(Zhou Wanting, as an intern, also contributed to the report.)