Forest fire put out in southwest China after almost three days

A fire that had been raging in a mountain forest for almost three days in southwest China's Yunnan Province was put out Wednesday, local authorities said.

More than 4,900 fire fighters, soldiers, government officials and villagers were mobilized against the fire that started at about 2:09 p.m. Sunday in the forest on the Mt. Yangmei in the Yi Autonomous County of Shilin, said Gao Bin, of the Yunnan Forest Police Corps.

Excavators, loaders, bulldozers, pumps and helicopters were also used to fight the fire, which was quenched at about 8 a.m. Wednesday, Gao said.

Strong winds, steep hills and lack of water due to a lingering drought had made the operation very difficult, he said.

"No casualties were reported in the operation," he added.

The fire also forced the evacuation of about 3,400 villagers.

An initial investigation shows that the fire spread up to 10 km and burnt 92 hectares of forest.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

"Currently, more than 1,600 people are clearing away the scene to guard against new flames," Gao said.

Source: Xinhua