A fire department in southwest China is under scrutiny after its firefighters were caught taking selfies during an emergency.

Last Thursday, pictures of three firefighters taking selfies during a rescue went viral after being posted to an online discussion board. The original poster said the photos were taken in Yanshan in Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province, where days of heavy rainfall left a child missing.

"Instead of searching for the lost kid, the firefighters were taking selfies," one user commented in the thread.

On Tuesday, the local fire department issued a statement, which confirmed the "selfie incident". It said of the three involved, two have been fired and the other has been given a warning.

The department said it will better manage its firefighters and it welcomes public supervision in the future.

The incident fueled a heated discussion on the Internet, with many condemning the soldiers for ignoring their task. But some backed the firefighters, saying the pictures might have been taken out of context.

"Maybe the public should pay more attention to the situation of the lost kid instead of focusing on the firefighters," said a user on microblog Sina Weibo.

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