BEIJING, May 1 (Xinhua) -- China's police authority has issued a nationwide warning on fire risks during the week-long May Day holiday particularly around popular historic revolutionary sites.

The fire control bureau under the Ministry of Public Security has ordered local police to inspect fire-fighting equipment at tourist sites, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, schools and kindergartens.

During the holiday, which began Monday, fatal fires were more frequent as crowds and the weather was dry with strong winds, the bureau warned.

"This year fire-control inspections should be stepped up at historic Communist Party revolutionary sites, which have become very popular in recent years," the fire alert notice says.

From 2000 to 2005, police recorded 29,182 fires during May Day holidays, which killed 214 people and injured 374 others. The economic losses totaled 154.8 million yuan (19.11 million US dollars). Enditem