Fires sparked by lightning strikes in the virgin forests of northeast China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are now under control thanks to recent rain.
The smoke that had been lingering for three weeks over Mangui Town beside the fire zone has finally cleared. The clear blue sky has calmed local residents' fears that the fires might spread to their homes.
On July 27, fires broke out in the northern area of the vast forests in the Greater Hinggan Mountains and soon fanned out to 15 different areas. The fires are thought to be the biggest to be caused by lightening strikes in the last half century in China.
An army of 16,678 firefighters, forest policemen and keepers, as well as soldiers have combined efforts to fight the flames. However, hot and dry weather and problems with transport have added to the difficulties of fighting the sporadic fires, according to sources with State Forestry Administration.
(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2002)
