Strong wind rekindles forest fire in Sichuan

A forest fire that killed 31 people, including 27 firefighters, reignited in Li'er village, Muli county on Saturday afternoon, and two new blaze broke out in Yuxi and Mianning counties of the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture in Sichuan province on Sunday, local authorities said.

Strong wind rekindled the fire at about 5 pm in the northeastern part of the forest in Muli, according to the sources.

The area burned by the fire was estimated to be seven hectares and the blaze was spreading due to strong wind.

On Sunday, local authorities dispatched 350 firefighters to tackle the blaze that broke out at 2:15 pm in Ruiyuan village in Yuxi county.

Meanwhile, another forest fire started at 8:13 pm in Lawo village in Mianning county. Local authorities have dispatched 460 people to battle the blaze.