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.