The truth about the strange 'spontaneous combustion' of rice fields in Gia Lai

A man uses a stick to poke a smoking mound of earth in a field in Bar Maih commune, Chu Se district, Gia Lai – Photo: Tik Tok

Recently, many accounts posted videos on social networks about the phenomenon of "fire eating soil" in Gia Lai.

The content of the videos is about a land with spontaneous combustion and smoldering smoke in the fields of Pham Kleo Ngol village, Bar Maih commune, Chu Se district.

Since then, many false rumors have appeared about active volcanoes, the end of the world, etc., affecting security and order.

Speaking with Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Nguyen Van Thuong - Chairman of the People's Committee of Bar Maih commune - said he was aware of the incident and was directing the authorities to handle the person spreading false information.

People lift a burning clod of earth in the field of Bar Maih commune – Photo: Minh Nam

According to Mr. Thuong, there is absolutely no such thing as spontaneous combustion of rice fields, but rather people burning the fields, leaving behind fire.

The special thing that makes the fire smolder for a long time is because the ground in this area is peat soil, the sediment layer contains a lot of phosphorus so it easily smolders.

Mr. Thuong said that this is not a new thing in the locality, it happens every year. But recently, some ticktokers and youtubers have filmed and posted it online to get likes, attracting many curious people to come and visit.

It is known that the local leader said that the field in the commune has an area with a thick layer of peat, containing many phosphorus impurities that are easily flammable. The recent dry weather combined with people burning the fields has led to the fire spreading slowly.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thuc-hu-mat-ruong-tu-boc-chay-ky-la-o-canh-dong-gia-lai-20240622165758473.htm