Hill fire extinguished at last after more than 24-hour battle

Eunice Lam and Charlotte Lam

A hill fire in Yuen Long near Tai Tong was put out yesterday afternoon - more than 24 hours after it erupted on Saturday afternoon and raged over a 200-meter stretch.

Fortunately, part of the Tai Lam Country Park in a district famous for its red foliage was spared but some park visitors said the scenery has suffered regardless.

A portion of the hillside of Tai Tong Road near Nam Hang Pai in Yuen Long burst into flames at 2.49pm on Saturday, the Fire Services Department said.

The fire spread rapidly, fanned by winds, and almost reached nearby residential houses, with two fire lines stretching about 200 meters and 50 meters, respectively, to try to arrest its spread. By noon yesterday, the fire had been contained to about 30 meters.

Online footage and videos showed flames spreading from the hillside to the peak, with heavy smoke billowing.

The FSD urgently called for hikers and campers to leave the affected area as soon as possible, adding that affected residents nearby should stay calm and shut their windows and doors.

Firefighters were deployed while the Government Flying Service sent helicopters for waterbombing. The fire was finally extinguished at 4.17pm yesterday.

While the hill fire raged, a photography enthusiast surnamed Chan visited Sweet Gum Woods yesterday in Tai Lam Country Park, which is famous for viewing red leaves in Hong Kong.

According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department's "Nature In Touch" website, the Red Leaves Index - the indicator of leaf color at Sweet Gum Woods - had turned to "Red" on December 27.

Chan said he visits the woods annually to capture its enchanting beauty and noticed a delayed color change in the leaves this year.

"When [the color of the leaves] finally changed this year, they turned red almost instantly. In past years, the changes were more gradual, displaying a variety of colors," he said.

Spending over a week photographing the forest, Chan noticed smaller crowds this year.

Another visitor surnamed Chan, an illustrator who came to sketch the forest, felt that the quantity and quality of red leaves weren't as impressive as before, possibly due to Typhoon Toraji in November.

He also estimated that visitor foot traffic was merely half of that in previous years.

"Typically, people arrive by mid-November. But this year, people are visiting [the woods] in December," he said.

Meanwhile, a woman surnamed Yip made her third visit to the forest yesterday, where she described the landscape as "very beautiful," highlighting the clear skies and warm weather.