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.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2008)