126: sudden wildfire

With Lin Zifeng's repeated insistence, Wan Guoliang finally adopted his plan.

Lin Zifeng took charge, assigned tasks to the other Standing Committee Members, and the meeting adjourned.

Zhou Xiong, the Head of the Armed Forces Department, walked out of the conference room with Lin Zifeng and said to him, "Secretary Lin, please rest assured. As soon as I return to the Armed Forces Department, I will issue the order."

"I will assemble the officers of the Armed Forces Department and summon the reservists and militia from each township to rush to Gangou Township and participate in the mission to extinguish the mountain fire."

"Hmm, time is of the essence right now, but please pay attention to traffic safety on the road."

"Additionally, tell the personnel participating in the fire extinguishing mission that they must ensure their personal safety while carrying out the task."

"If the mountain fire cannot be controlled quickly, it is better to let more forest burn than to take risks. Life is the most precious thing; it is above all else."

Lin Zifeng stated his principle.

"Very well, Secretary Lin. I will carry it out diligently."

Zhou Xiong agreed, unable to help but think to himself that this young Deputy Secretary was not the type of person who would stop at nothing just to complete a task.

This reverence for life was truly commendable.

A steady stream of fire-extinguishing personnel from Yushu County, carrying large amounts of firefighting tools, kept rushing toward Gangou Township.

At the same time, vehicles loaded with other supplies were also driving toward Gangou Township.

Lin Zifeng also took a car and headed to Gangou Township.

More than an hour later, Li Qiang drove the car to the foot of Daqing Mountain and parked in an open area.

This open area already had hundreds of vehicles parked in it.

It was bustling with noise and excitement; many people were carrying tools and starting to head up the mountain path to participate in the firefighting.

Lin Zifeng got out of the car and saw thick smoke rising from several kilometers away, and could even see flames leaping up.

At this moment, Zhou Xiong came to his side and said, "Secretary Lin, the Cadres from our Armed Forces Department have all arrived, as have the reservists and militia from the townships adjacent to Gangou Township."

"The other, more distant townships will also be arriving one after another."

"Good. Organize the people to go up the mountain to extinguish the fire one after another. You stay here and be responsible for the organization."

"There are other logistics support personnel from the county who will arrive shortly. When they arrive, organize people to send mineral water and food up the mountain. I will go to the fire scene to check the situation on the ground."

After saying this, he followed the other firefighting personnel toward the mountain, with Wang Zhongyu and Li Qiang following closely behind him.

Zhou Xiong wanted to call him back, wanting him to stay here and not risk going there in person.

However, seeing him quickly merge into the crowd, he closed his open mouth.

At this time, Yu Le, the Secretary of Gangou Township, walked quickly up to Zhou Xiong and said, "Minister Zhou, you have arrived. Let me report the specific situation of the fire to you."

Zhou Xiong nodded without speaking, signaling him to continue.

"According to reports from the Cadres participating in the firefighting, the area of the fire has already exceeded one thousand mu and is still spreading rapidly."

"Some Cadres and masses have already started digging firebreaks, hoping to contain the mountain fire within them."

"However, because the mountain roads are rugged, large machinery cannot get up there at all, so it relies entirely on manpower. The speed of digging firebreaks is limited, and it is uncertain when the mountain fire can be brought under control."

"As for the cause of the mountain fire, it will need to be investigated in detail after the fire is extinguished."

"Who is in command at the fire scene?"

Zhou Xiong asked concisely.

"It is our township Mayor Wang Yong. I am staying here to be responsible for various handover and guidance work."

Yu Le replied hurriedly.

Zhou Xiong nodded and spoke again, "Call Comrade Wang Yong and inform him that Secretary Zifeng has gone to the scene. Tell him he must ensure the safety of Secretary Zifeng."

Hearing what Zhou Xiong said, Yu Le was stunned. He hadn't expected that Lin Zifeng would go to the scene in person.

"I will call township Mayor Wang immediately and guarantee that Secretary Lin's safety is ensured."

"Minister Zhou, after I finish the call, I should still go there myself! Since Secretary Lin has gone to the scene, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to stay behind."

Yu Le said while taking out his mobile phone.

"You just stay here. There is still a lot of work that needs you to complete it!"

Zhou Xiong thought for a moment and said.

Yu Le agreed and went to the side to make the call.

At this time, the Executive Deputy County Mayor Xu Minghao and the Director of the Public Security Bureau Zhu Yushan walked over together. The three of them exchanged greetings and then each went to arrange and coordinate their work.

After more than an hour, Lin Zifeng finally followed the crowd to a spot not far from the firefighting scene. He saw many people using chainsaws to saw down some arm-thick trees to clear the path ahead.

The people behind were clearing these branches, and there were others using shovels to dig firebreaks.

The width of the firebreak was a full fifty meters wide.

Although they were still a kilometer away from the mountain fire, standing here, one could already feel the heat waves in the air.

At this moment, Wang Yong walked over quickly.

"Secretary Lin, why have you come here? You should go down the mountain to command! I am enough here."

Looking at Wang Yong, who was drenched in sweat and covered in dirt, he didn't take the other man's blunt words to heart.

Instead, he reached out his hand to the other man, "Comrade Wang Yong, thank you and the other Comrades for your hard work."

"If I don't come up to take a look, I can't rest easy!"

Wang Yong was just about to wipe his hand on his clothes before shaking hands with him, but his hand was grabbed by him.

"Sweat and mud are your best medals; they are clean, so don't worry about it."

"You don't need to worry about me, go back to your work! There are other County Party Standing Committee Members working down the mountain! I can take care of myself staying here."

"Don't forget, I have my Secretary and driver with me! If there really is danger, I will take evasive action myself."

Holding his warm hand and looking into his gentle eyes, Wang Yong swallowed the words he wanted to use to persuade him.

His eyes felt a bit sore from being moved. He said, "Very well, Secretary Lin," and turned to leave, continuing to participate in and command the digging of the firebreak.

Lin Zifeng turned to look at Wang Zhongyu and Li Qiang and said, "Every extra person participating adds to our strength. Let's join in too!"

The two of them agreed, and together with him, each picked up a shovel and joined in.

As more and more people arrived, and subsequent personnel kept arriving, they began to dig the firebreak in multiple sections, and the speed increased significantly.

The number of personnel participating in extinguishing the mountain fire increased from a few hundred at the beginning to over three thousand by the afternoon.

Lin Zifeng kept a constant watch on the situation at the scene, and during breaks, he reported the situation at the scene to Wan Guoliang and Qian Dagang at any time.

Two days and two nights passed quickly.

The vast majority of the personnel participating in extinguishing the mountain fire drank mineral water when thirsty and ate bread when hungry, and none of them went down the mountain.

When they were really tired, they would find a safe place to take a short nap, and then continue to throw themselves into firefighting.

Lin Zifeng was the same.