Bushfires are triggered by heatwaves and drought in China’s Chongqing

Beijing 22nd August : The ongoing heatwaves and drought have caused numerous fires in the mountainous regions of Chinas Chongqing Municipality, authorities said on Monday.

More than 1500 victims were evacuated to safer areas.No injuries have been reported to date.

Large areas of China have been experiencing recent heatwaves.Chongqing for instance, is currently experiencing the worst prolonged hot weather since the year 1961.

The Chinese national observatory issued red alerts for high temperatures the highest level of warning in its four-tier system of warnings.Its the tenth consecutive day in a row that the National Meteorological Centre has issued an alert in red for temperatures that are high.

The current heatwave is expected to diminish gradually starting August 26.