Forest fire in China's Inner Mongolia contained

HOHHOT -- A forest fire that raged for three days in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region has been contained, local authorities said Saturday.

The clean-up operation is underway at Xiushan, under the jurisdiction of the Jinhe Forestry Bureau in the Greater Hinggan Mountains, according to the firefighting headquarters.

After a huge effort by over 5,000 firefighters, the fire was put under control on all fronts by 4:40 pm Saturday.

Firefighters are calculating the size of the burned area.

The fire had been contained on the northern and eastern fronts by Friday night. Additional firemen joined the firefighting on the southern front Saturday.

Steep hills and dense vegetation on the western and southern fronts earlier complicated the firefighting efforts.

Since June, the Inner Mongolia section of the Greater Hinggan Mountains and its surrounding regions has seen thunder and lightning strike about 30,000 times. Less rainfall and higher temperatures have also increased the risk of fires.