A forest fire broke out on Wednesday morning in Hulun Buir City,
in north China's Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region, spreading over 20 square
kilometers, according to local authorities.
The fire occurred near Hongyan Town, an area covered in thick
springwood of birch and pastures.
At press time, no casualties had been reported, but firefighting
efforts were hampered by strong winds.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Temperatures at this time of the year are a little higher than
usual. An earlier forest fire occurred on October 12.?
(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2005)