Forest fire extinguished in Yunnan province

KUNMING -- The forest fire that broke out in Southwest China's Yunnan province on Thursday has been extinguished, local authorities said Friday.

The fire started at around 2 pm Thursday in Tianba Village in Jinning District of Kunming, the provincial capital. A total of 610 firefighters and other emergency response personnel were sent to battle the fire, the publicity department of the district said.

The fire was put out around 9:24 pm. An initial investigation shows that the fire scorched an area of 15 hectares. The cause of the fire is being investigated.