Fire warning network suggested

Fire warning network suggested

MANILA (AP): Canada has recommended the formation of a regional warning network to allow quick responses to forest fires in any part of Asia, a Canadian official said yesterday.

Such a network could have reduced the damage from recent forest fires in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, said Raymond Chan, Canada's secretary of state for Asia-Pacific. The fires caused haze over many parts of Southeast Asia.

Chan said the network could use satellites to provide immediate warnings of fires. The network also would train firefighters and provide aircraft capable of dropping water on fires, he said.

In the Philippines, recent fires killed three people and destroyed about 25,000 hectares of forest and grassland in six provinces before being put under control Sunday.