More than 1,500 people have been mobilized to fight a forest fire that is spreading rapidly through the drought parched timberlands of southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

Soldiers, firefighters, armed police and local residents have gone to fight the blaze, but the mountainous roads had made the operation difficult, the municipal forest fire prevention office said Thursday.

The fire began at around 1:00 PM Wednesday in Yakou Village, in Yubei District of northern Chongqing, and soon spread to neighboring Beibei District, the office said.

No casualties from the fire have been reported, according to the office.

The worst drought in 50 years hit Chongqing and neighboring Sichuan Province this year, and has afflicted major areas of the two regions for up to three months.

(China.org.cn, Xinhua News Agency September 1, 2006)