Deadly wildfire, landslides wreak havoc in southern China

In recent days, rounds of flooding rainfall have caused deadly landslides in parts of southeastern China, while excessively dry conditions elsewhere have led to a quickly spreading wildfire.

The stormy pattern that setup over the Middle East during the month of March has extended into southeastern China even though parts of central China rarely receive rain in this setup.

As storms move through Asia in this pattern, their moisture is largely wrung out over the tall peaks of the Himalayan Mountains. When the storms first arrive in China, there is very little rainfall.

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These drying conditions are magnified in Xichang City, located in a valley in the mountainous terrain of south-central China in the Sichuan. Prolonged dry conditions in recent days have left dry vegetation across the area.

On Monday afternoon, a fire sparked in the forest of Laoshan Mountain located near Xichang City. With low relative humidity, gusty winds and plenty of dry brush to fuel the fire, the fire quickly grew.

Residents in the area shared how ash and the smell of burning trees filled the city. A blue sky quickly turned yellow and orange as the smoke spread into the area.

As of Monday night, there are reports that around 300 people have been evacuated, including personnel from Xichang College, due to the fire encroaching on the city. As many as 4 helicopters was also deployed to help contain the blaze, and nearly 900 firefighters.

On Tuesday, authorities announced the fire was responsible for at least 19 deaths, including 18 firefighters and one local farmer who was acting as a guide.

As the fire continues as of Wednesday afternoon, local time, the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

Farther east, wet weather has been creating another set of impacts.

Once the storm systems emerge from the mountainous terrain in southeastern China, they are able to reorganize. As this happens, they pull in more moisture from the South China Sea.

This helps to fuel rounds of heavy rain and feisty thunderstorms that can lead to flash flooding and mudslides across southeastern China.

This has been the case recently as rounds of heavy rainfall have traveled a similar path across central and southeastern China, triggering landslides across the the area.

A landslide in a rural section of Hunan province spilled debris onto a section of train tracks, causing a passenger train to derail before catching on fire. As of Monday night, local time, officials have announced that one person has been killed and 127 others have been injured.

Tuesday morning, it was reported that the railway was repaired.

Heavy rain may have also triggered a landslide in the Guizhou province last Friday. Search and rescue workers worked through the weekend to rescue 12 people trapped in the debris.

As of Monday, seven people have been confirmed dead by officials.

Another round of heavy rain and thunderstorms returned to southeastern China on Wednesday and Thursday as the next storm system moved into the region.

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