The firefighting command in Inner Mongolia said that, by 2:30 pm yesterday, all five remaining fires in northeastern parts of the region were under effective control.

One of the fires has been completely extinguished, the second is almost out, the sites of two more are being cleared to ensure that the wind does not restart a fire from smouldering ash, and the last fire is under control, the report said.

Premier Zhu Rongji sent greetings to the 6,000 or so firefighters on Friday and asked them to make greater efforts to "achieve complete victory."

However, weather forecasts from local meteorological departments said that there would be no substantial rainfall in the coming week.

A firefighting command official said: "Under such weather conditions, it would be an arduous task for the firefighters to clear out the burnt areas, and new sparks could occur at any time."

A red alert has been sounded among professional firefighters in the adjacent areas and all forest rangers in the autonomous region, while 1,500 troops of the region's armed police are ready to act as reinforcements if need be, the official said.

The People's Liberation Army Air Force and civil aviation authorities have also sent four helicopters, two Yun-5 aircraft and one artificial rain-making plane to the region, he added.

Experts blamed the fires in the virgin forest reserve on lightning strikes triggered by the long spell of hot, dry weather since early summer.

(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2002)