China's national headquarters on prevention of forestry fire has called for more precautions against possible fire in Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang for the next ten days.

Local fire-control authorities in eastern Inner Mongolia and northern Heilongjiang Province should keep alert and prepare for fires, Cao Qingrao, spokesman of the State Forestry Administration said Friday.

Four forestry fires have broken out in eastern Inner Mongolia since Tuesday due to continuous heat and draught, which is likely to continue in the next ten days, according to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).

Vice Premier Hui Liangyu has ordered local governments to intensify preventative measures against forestry fire.

About 2,900 forestry police and troops had managed to control fires raging at three locations in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, local sources said on Friday.

The areas covered and economic losses are yet to be counted.

From January to July, 6,960 forestry fires were reported nationwide, affecting 15,789 hectares of forests, down 4.43 percent and 62.2 percent respectively compared with the average rates of the past eight years.

(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2007)