About 2,200 firemen and forestry workers are battling a forest fire that broke out in Heihe City in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Monday morning, according to local forestry sources.

 

The situation remains serious because of strong winds. Satellite pictures show that the fire had destroyed approximately 25 square kilometers of forest at 8 PM Monday, according to Jin Qiang, deputy head of the provincial forest fire prevention headquarters.

 

Jin added that the provincial government has made preparations for artificial rainfall.

 

In another development, a helicopter carrying firefighters crashed into a forest 70 kilometers west of Heihe at about 1:30 PM Monday due to a hydraulic system failure, injuring all seven onboard, a source with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China said.

 

A team has been dispatched to the crash site to investigate.

(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2006)