Forest fire quenched in SW China's Yunnan after a week

KUNMING, April 14 (Xinhua) -- A forest fire in Shangrila county, southwestern Yunnan Province, was extinguished over the weekend after burning for a week, local authorities said on Monday.

More than 3,000 people fought the fire, which broke out at about 5:15 p.m. last Sunday in lushly forested Luoji Village, threatening the Potatso National Park some 10 kilometers to the east, said a Yunnan Forestry Department official

The fire burned about 330 hectares of forest, but so far there is no estimate of the losses.

Fire fighters using rain-making equipment brought the blaze under control on Saturday and finally extinguished it at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. They were clearing the area to prevent new outbreaks of fire.

Initial investigation showed that the fire was started by forestry workers' negligence, according to the provincial forestry department.