Thousands of firefighters succeeded on Friday in extinguishing a fire that destroyed 1,333 hectares of forest over nine days in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

More than 6,500 firefighters had worked day and night to control the blaze that came within 20 kilometers of Kunming, the provincial capital, according to the State Forestry Administration (SFA).

No casualties have been reported, and more than 700 evacuated villagers have been able to return to their homes.

A woman in her 20s has been arrested for the alleged arson that started the fire and sent to a psychiatric institution for evaluation.

Government leaders, including Premier Wen Jiabao, oversaw the firefighting plans and evacuations.

Source: Xinhua