BEIJING – Firefighting teams of soldiers and Tibetan villagers put out a forest fire late Friday that burned for two days in the Himalayan region, an official said.
The fire broke out Wednesday, blamed on villagers who cooked in the dense forest after illegally cutting trees, said the forestry official reached by telephone in the town of Linzhi.
The extent of damage is unknown, said the official, who would give only his surname, Wang. The area is about 10,000 feet above sea level in southeastern Tibet.
Some 2,200 people were mobilized to fight the flames, including People’s Liberation Army troops, Wang said. Earlier state media reports said they were hampered by the thick forest, rugged mountain terrain and high winds.
Scouts were still watching for new outbreaks of fire because smoke could be seen in some extinguished areas, Wang said.
