After four days of round-the-clock efforts, a forest fire at Xirite Banner (County), north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, had been enclosed and brought under control by early Monday morning, local fire fighters said.

A fire suspected to be caused by lightning strike last Thursday in the nearby Sangenhe Forest Farm between Mianduhe and Urqihan towns entered Xirite at the evening of last Friday.

More than 3,600 people, including 1,500-strong armed policemen and 2,100 forest workers, joined the fire fighting.

Difficult access, dry and windy weather, poor telecom connections will make it hard to prevent the fire from resurging at the forest area in Xirite, fire fighters said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2006)