Forest fires in NE China extinguished

Forest fires that devoured approximately 660 hectares of forests over the past few days in northeast China have been put out by Friday night, firefighters said.

Officials with Heilongjiang Provincial Forest Fire Control Headquarters said satellite footage and inspections by air and ground fire fighters confirmed the fires were completely extinguished in Heihe City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

No casualties have been reported so far, the officials said.

Preliminary investigation indicates the fires were caused by a migrant farmer surnamed Li that illegally smoked in a field, which ignited haystack.

The fire, helped by wind blowing southeastward, spread to forest nearby. The suspect has been detained.

Forest policemen and local fire fighters totaling 3,000 are still monitoring and clearing the areas hit by the fires.

Source: Xinhua