In recognition of the brave deeds of the firefighters, the Central Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC), State Council and the Central Military Commission of the CPC sent them a telegram greeting, Xinhua reported.

On July 28, the fires broke out in the northern area of the vast forests in the Greater Hinggan Mountains and soon fanned out to 19 different areas, creating dozens of blazes, it said.

The Inner Mongolia Forestry Group mobilized 17 fire control teams from a total of 15 forestry bureaux in the region.

More than 16,000 people, including 5,678 forest policemen from the region, Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces and 11,000 forestry workers, have taken part in firefighting in China's second largest mobilization for combating forest fires since 1987, sources said.

Rainy weather since August 15 also helped firefighters combat the blazes, the report said.

The fires were thought to be the largest ignited by lightning strikes since the founding of the People Republic of China in 1949, the report said.

The local environment was not severely affected because the area of the fire only accounts for one-thousandth or so of the forest's total, said Chen Shaojun, board director of the Inner Mongolia Forestry Group, in the report.

No death or major injury has been reported during the 23-day fire-fighting effort, said Chen, who is also the chief commander of the firefighters.

Forest police and workers who helped began to leave the sites yesterday, Chen said.

To avoid flare-ups, the firefighting headquarters kept some firefighters on site to pay close attention to the site.

During the effort, the logistics departments ensured food and water were supplied to firefighters.

Local hospitals also sent medical teams to the front, officials said.

The Greater Hinggan Mountains region, boasts one of the largest virgin forest reserves in the country. It was ravaged by major forest fires in 1987, causing huge economic losses and many casualties.

( China Daily August 20, 2002)