A forest ranger checks ground moisture beneath the forest canopy in the U Minh Ha area, Ca Mau Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Thanh Huyen / Tuoi Tre
According to the Tran Van Thoi and U Minh forest ranger units, severe drought has spread across melaleuca forests, hybrid acacia plantations, and island clusters, significantly increasing the risk of wildfires.
Forest protection forces warned that under such extreme dryness, even a small spark could trigger a large blaze, making firefighting efforts extremely difficult.
At U Minh Ha Forestry One Member Co., Ltd., more than 11,000 hectares are classified at the highest fire warning level, Level V, while over 6,000 hectares are at Level IV, or dangerous.
High-risk areas are concentrated in Nguyen Phich and Khanh Lam Communes, as well as the Song Trem and U Minh 1 inter-subzones.
Fire danger is also rising at U Minh Ha National Park.
Rangers at U Minh Ha National Park, Ca Mau Province, southern Vietnam, conduct regular forest fire drills to enhance rapid response capacity for wildfire prevention and control. Photo: Thanh Huyen / Tuoi Tre
Despite its relatively strong water retention capacity, U Minh Ha National Park has nearly 700 hectares at the highest fire warning level, mainly in subzones 1 and 3, while more than 3,700 hectares remain at a dangerous level and could escalate to the highest alert within days if dry conditions persist.
On offshore islands, all 524 hectares of special-use forest in the Hon Khoai island cluster have reached the highest fire warning level.
Fire prevention and response efforts there face significant challenges due to steep terrain, forcing crews to rely largely on manual methods.
In response, forest protection forces have stepped up patrols and are maintaining round-the-clock readiness at key hotspots.
Firefighting equipment and vehicles are on standby for rapid deployment.
