About 4,000 fire-fighters are struggling to control a fire spreading through virgin forest in Tibet Autonomous Region, said local sources on Friday.

Thick smoke was spotted at about 5:10 PM on Thursday in a forest four kilometers from the Bayi Town, in the Nyingchi Prefecture, southeast Tibet.

Strong winds had fanned the fire and by 6:00 AM on Friday, the fire has moved four to five kilometers, said Yulha, vice commissioner of the prefecture administrative office.

Fire-fighters had dug three firebreaks to prevent the blaze from reaching local hospitals, schools, villages and the No. 318 national highway, Yulha said.

No casualties have been reported.

Hu Chuyang, a senior engineer with the Tibet observatory, said rain was forecast for the area over the weekend. "It won't extinguish the fire, but would be helpful curbing its spread," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2007)