Hunan Wildfires Destroy At Least 2 Towns, 2 Dead

Tens of thousands of local residents gather and march in a memorial for two firefighters killed in the wildfire in Xintian County, Hunan Province, on Oct. 25, 2022. The wildfire broke out on Oct. 17, lasted for more than seven days, and engulfed half of the county, but the news was censored to ensure the party congress would be held without any disturbance. Video screenshot

Wildfires in Hunan, a province in south central China, erupted on Oct. 17, but the Chinese media has kept silent on the natural disaster. The fire has been raging for over a week, so far burning down two townships and killing two firefighters.

Chinese netizens blamed the regime’s party congress for the media silence. The national meeting that took place on Oct. 16 to Oct. 22 was the entire focus for the country’s state-backed media.