Local forestry sources confirmed Monday that two forest fires had broken out Sunday in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

By press time more than 1,320 firemen and forest rangers were battling the two blazes located at Galashan Forest Farm of Heihe City and Kanduhe Forest Farm at the Greater Hinggan Mountains, the sources said.

The province has set up a fire control headquarters to organize more people to assist in extinguishing the fires. At the time of reporting more than 370 fire-fighters were tackling the fires.

Forest fires first broke out in Heihe City on May 17 and over 20 sika deer (Cervus nippon) raised on a farm were killed in the fire. No human deaths or injuries have been reported to date.

(Xinhua News Agency, China.org.cn May 23, 2006)