Fire in Tibetan Village of Shangri-La

Why is it is news ?

• Recently, an ancient Tibetan village in the popular tourist area of Shangri-La in China's southwest Yunnan province has been partially destroyed by fire (which may have been caused by the short circuit, according to reports). This place is also famous for its unique culture.
• The name of the part which was one fire is called Dukezong. But this area was renamed Shangri-La in 2001.

Anything important about the fire ?

• There have been no reports that the fire was caused intentionally. But people are once again talking about concerns over commercial development of ancient towns. In short, people are saying that this fire may have been put to wipe out the ancient village & build a new commercial development.
• The blaze in Dukezong was not the first fire disaster that had damaged ancient towns or buildings across China in recent years.
• In October, a blaze torn down an ancient building complex in central China's preserved town of Hongjiang. Asia's No. 1 covered bridge in Chongqing was destroyed by fire in November. Another fire also raged in the old town of Lijiang, Yunnan province, in March.

What has been lost ?
The Dukezong ancient town, known for well-preserved Tibetan dwellings, lost nearly 300 houses, or two thirds of the entire town, in the worst fire in the history of the 1,300-year-old town.

 

Reasons for spread of fire
Wooden construction that facilitates fire spreading, narrow lanes that hamper firefighting efforts and lack of equipment are common reasons to be blamed for fires in old towns or buildings.

Challenges faced about these ancient towns in China

• Preserving modern lifestyles of local residents while taking safety into consideration has become a common challenge for those ancient towns.
• The town had been designed for fire prevention in the past. Enough space was given between buildings to prevent fire from spreading. But a lot of such space has been consumed in order to accommodate more restaurants, shops and inns as tourism booms.

A possible solution given so as to prevent such occurrences

• Better planning the layout of the town.
• Move some high-risk businesses, in terms of fire prevention, out of the core area of the town.
• Strict follow-up of rules and regulations
• Stopping over-crowding of a place.