Southwest China is battling forest fires

Thousands of firefighters are battling blazes that have been sweeping mountain forests in three different counties in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The fire, which killed 31 people a week ago in Muli County, restarted on Saturday. As of Monday morning, more than 1,000 firefighters and local volunteers, aided by three helicopters, have been deployed to fight the fire.

Meanwhile, the counties of Yuexi and Mianning, also in Liangshan, have been battered by forest fires, according to the local government of the prefecture.

More than 1,000 firefighters and local volunteers are deployed to fight the fire. /CGTN Photo

On Monday morning, the fire in Yuexi County was extinguished.

Dry weather and high winds in many parts of China are feeding the flames across the country, including the outskirts of Beijing.

No casualties were reported in these incidents.

The fire in Muli was the deadliest of its kind in recent years. It first broke out on March 30. The 31 people killed include 27 firefighters and four local helpers. Acting on eyewitnesses' accounts, investigators identified lighting as the cause of the blaze.

Dry air and decomposed plant material in the forest contributed to the quick spread of the deadly blaze.

(CGTN)