The headquarters for fire control at Kanas Nature Reserve announced Tuesday that they had put out flames of a forest fire that struck the reserve on Sunday afternoon.

Danger of a hidden fire remains, said an official with the headquarters.

The forest fire broke out at 5:30 pm on Sunday from Akwu Lugon of the nature reserve about 20 kilometers from the scenic spot Kanas Lake in Altay, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The fire devoured a land of 20 hectares.

By press time, it drizzled around the nature reserve, which is conducive to putting out the fire, said the official, who added that fire control operation is difficult due to low visibility.

Causes of the fire are still under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2004)