A foreign teacher in Chongqing shared his experience as a volunteer in the fight against wildfires in nearby Jinyun and Hutou mountains last week in his Weibo, and praised the unity of the Chinese people while facing a natural disaster.
Francis Stonier, 42, from the U.S. state of Virginia, is an associate professor working at Southwest University in Chongqing. He started to show concern about the fires when they started on Jinyun and Hutou mountains Aug. 21.
“I worried about the wildfires because Beibei District had been dry for a long time and the wind was very strong. In Western countries, the mountains are closed when fires occur and the fires could last for several months before they are extinguished. It is very dangerous,” said Stonier.
During the night, Stonier shared his knowledge and expertise about fighting wildfires through WeChat and reminded his friends that the situation would be worse than they could imagine as the wildfires will follow the winds.
On Aug. 22, Stonier decided to be a volunteer to share his knowledge and expertise, as the rescue headquarters needed a team equipped with chainsaws to fell trees to clear a 60-meter-wide barrier on the mountains.
Stonier has the experience of assembling and using chainsaws, but he couldn’t speak Chinese. He and his wife asked for help through WeChat and several teachers responded Aug. 23 to offer help as interpreters.
“I spent the bulk of the day Aug. 23 helping assemble new chainsaws, making sure they were safe for use, properly fueled and oiled, with the chain tension and direction adjusted correctly,” said Stonier.
“In the evening, the team was assembled and we waited for motorcycles at the foot of Mt. Jinyun to carry us to the top of the mountain. It was at least 43 degrees Celsius. I waited for about an hour before a motorcycle came. I am heavily built and tall and carried a medical kit and enough clothes for three days. The driver is very slim and I think he was very great,” Stonier said in his Weibo.
He thought the motorcycles played a very important role in fighting against wildfires. When Stonier reached the top of the mountain, it was around 5 p.m. Due to safety concerns, the firefighting commander decided not to let Stonier battle the fires directly.
“I felt regret and left the task to the soldiers, and followed the orders to turn back,” said Stonier.
Through participating in the fight against wildfires, Stonier said at an interview with local media in Chongqing that he felt the unity and executive ability of the Chinese people, as well as the mobilizing ability of the governments.
