A blaze that started in a national forest park in southwest China's Guizhou Province Wednesday afternoon was under control, local authorities said.

The fire began at about 2:30 p.m. and spread over 200 hectares in Longjiashan National Forest Park in Longli County, Guizhou Province.

The fire, which began at about 2:30 p.m. and spread over 200 hectares in Longjiashan National Forest Park in Longli County, was brought under control at 10:30 p.m., a provincial forest fire prevention headquarters official said.

Fires in two small areas were still burning, but heavy rain forecast for early Thursday was expected to extinguish them, he said.

Fire-fighters have set up fire breaks to prevent the blaze from spreading to a railway and an explosives warehouse, he said.

More than 1,000 police, fire-fighters and residents joined the fire-fighting, he said.

Residents were fighting the fire in Longjiashan National Forest Park in Longli County, Guizhou Province February 25, 2009.

No casualties had been reported. The residents of more than 100 homes were evacuated, he said.

A expected heavy rain from Wednesday night to Thursday morning would put out the fire, according to the provincial observatory.

The forest park, which covers about 6,700 hectares and 30 km in length from the provincial capital of Guiyang, was ratified as a national forest park in December 2006.

The provincial forest fire prevention headquarters is investigating the cause of the fire.