A major forest fire broke out last Friday in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

By 6:00?pm on October 18, some 400 Armed Police officers, 17 aircraft and more than 11,000 firefighters had been dispatched to the Zhanhe Forestry Center to combat the blaze. The State Forestry Administration reported that additional relief forces were on the way.

Cloud seeding began on Monday afternoon in an attempt to use rain to weaken fire.

Wang Chuntai, head of the Harbin Armed Police Detachment Forest Brigade, said that the fire was advancing at a speed of 20 km per hour toward two tree farms, Xingfu and Lixin, on the afternoon of October 17.

More than 3,000 people and their property were threatened, but the blaze in that sector was brought under control overnight and the two farms appeared to be safe.

Another farm, Xiaoxingan, also appeared to be out of danger.

However, the Fendou Farm fire was expanding, according to Wang, aggravated by dry, clear and windy weather.

Monitoring aircraft reported that the fire broke out in three areas. The blaze in the northern area originated when workers were setting controlled fires to create a firebreak. Gusting winds, they said, sent the blaze out of control.

Experts warn of increased danger of fires in northeast, east, central and southwest China this autumn and winter.

(China Daily, China.org.cn October 19, 2004)