Nearly 2,200 people in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province are trying to bring a forest fire under control, according to the local government.
The fire was reported at 12:47 p.m. Tuesday in the Hongxing forest in Yichun.
Firefighters, forest police and locals were battling the fire, said Lin Hongkun, vice head of the forestry bureau. Their efforts were being challenged by wind speeds up to 18 kilometers.
The size and cause of the fire were not immediately known, according to Li Shuming, deputy commander-in-chief with the provincial firefighting headquarters of Heilongjiang.
Xinhua tried to contact headquarters Tuesday night to find out if any homes were being threatened, but calls went unanswered.
About 400 kilometers away, another fire was discovered in the Hewan forest by the Suiyang forestry bureau. After burning 14 hectares, it was extinguished by 200 firefighters at 4:35 p.m..
No injuries at either site have been reported.
Heilongjiang suffered from another forest fire Sunday. According to the State Forestry Administration, it was put out Monday.
Spring is a dry season for the province which receives little rainfall.
The woods had been felled for more than six decades and the local ecosystem is vulnerable, Li said.
(Xinhua News Agency May 20, 2009)
