Northern China forest fire under control

TAIYUAN, March 31 (Xinhua) -- A forest fire that has lasted for more than two days in north CHINA's Shanxi Province had been brought under control as of 4 p.m. Sunday, local authorities said.

While most of the blaze on the western line was put out, fire on the northern side has been effectively contained, with sporadic fire on the southern and eastern sides, according to the firefighting headquarters.

Nearly 7,000 people have been dispatched to quench the blaze, which broke out in Qinyuan County at around 1:10 p.m. Friday. No casualties have been reported so far.

A total of 13 helicopters and transport aircraft have been mobilized to battle the fire, and about 8,000 people remain on standby to guard the site where the fire has been extinguished.

As of Sunday morning, more than 9,000 people had been evacuated. Among them, more than 2,300 had been relocated to 14 temporary shelters in Qinyuan. Enditem