Zhao He, head of the fire-fighting team and commissioner of the Nyingchi Prefecture in southeastern Tibet where the fire occurred, said no casualties had been reported due to careful coordination of fire-fighting efforts and favorable weather conditions.

The big fire started at approximately 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday in a forest in southeastern Tibet's Nyingchi Prefecture.

By Thursday, the team comprising residents, officials, and soldiers and officers stationed in the town of Baiba, created two isolated fire-breaks 60 meters wide and 200 meters long to contain the fire within an area three km long and one km wide.

An unexpected snowfall Thursday night helped fire-fighters douse the fire as river valleys around the fire were snow covered by Friday morning, local officials said.

Li Bing, director of the Nyingchi forestry department, said property losses from the fire were not big, but a specific figure had yet to be assessed.

The fire was reportedly caused by local villagers and migrant farmers they employed cooking in the dense forest, where they were illegally logging. Their numbers have yet to be specified.

Li said police had temporarily detained the suspects for investigation.

(People?s Daily February 22, 2003)