Man sentenced to 6 years in prison for causing fire in northeast China

A man has been sentenced to six years in prison for causing a forest fire in northeast China.

The verdict was given by a court in the city of Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province.

On April 17, the man, Zhang Zhenhe used a lighter to burn cornstalks to clear the land in a fire-prone area in Hunnan District. The flame was blown by the wind into nearby hay and caused a forest fire.

The fire damaged over 827 hectares of forests and caused a direct economic loss of over 24.6 million yuan (US$3.5 million). More than 10,000 nearby residents were evacuated.

The court made the above judgment given that Zhang's negligence caused heavy losses to public and private property.