A forest fire in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was put out on Thursday with no reported casualties, according to local fire control headquarters.

 

About 3,300 police and firemen fought the blaze. It started on Tuesday as a result of lightning strikes.

 

The inferno engulfed some 8,300 hectares of camphor pine forest in Ewenki Autonomous Banner of Hulun Buir City.

 

It was moving towards a town inhabited by 4,200 people on Wednesday evening, but reinforced firefighting efforts stopped it in its wake.

 

Two planes and 22 water rockets were used on Thursday morning to make rain and some sleet, which helped a great deal in putting the fire out, the headquarters said.

 

Strong winds, consistently high temperatures, thick grass cover in the oil-rich camphor pine forest and a weak fire control infrastructure made firefighting difficult, according to officials with the local forestry bureau.

 

The forest is a state-level nature reserve covering 119,000 hectares of land, and is China's largest virgin camphor pine area.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2006)