Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu has called for more efforts to prevent forest fires and reduce the number of casualties resulting from such disasters.

After several forest fires in north China's Hebei and Shanxi provinces, Hui urged relevant departments across the country to reinforce fire surveillance and improve various emergency plans to deal with fire situations.

He said that all departments involved should draw lessons from the fires and take more measures to ensure the safety of firefighters, and reduce casualties and economic losses to minimum.

China has witnessed mounting fire problems this year amid a dry climate and high temperatures that led to less rainfall in the northern and western part of the country.

The State Forestry Administration has sent five working teams to supervise local forest fire prevention missions. In an emergency notice released on Wednesday, the administration called on relative departments at all levels to prevent the breakout of forest fires around the upcoming Tomb-sweeping Day, which will fall on April 5.

(Xinhua News Agency March 30, 2006)