A forest fire burning along the China-Mongolia border has been
extinguished on the Chinese side, local officials said on
Tuesday.
The fire, stretching some seven kilometers across, was spotted
at 5:00 PM on Friday to the west of Hinggan League in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Propelled by high winds, the fire moved rapidly towards the
China-Mongolia border.
At 10:00 AM Saturday, the fire crossed into the Hinggan League
and local government dispatched 140 firefighters and 50 forest
rangers to fight it.
Another fire raging in virgin forest in Inner Mongolia was put
out last Tuesday morning. Forests in north China are now vulnerable
to fires as the dry autumn period sets in.
(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2006)