Forest fires rage in Sichuan province

Two fires are raging through forests in mountainous Sichuan province in southwest China, local authorities said on Tuesday.

A fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon in a forest near Xichang city in the remote Liangshan prefecture, which is mainly populated by ethnic Yi people, the city's emergency office said.

Firefighters, forest police officers and armed police and a helicopter have been dispatched to battle the blaze, according to the emergency office.

The cause of the fire was being investigated.

Meanwhile, another forest fire, which broke out around 1 pm on Monday in Dechang county in the prefecture, has not yet been extinguished. Over 150 people and a helicopter are trying to contain the fire.