Forest fires rage in southwest China province

Two fires are raging through forests in mountainous Sichuan Province in southwest China, local authorities said on Tuesday.A fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon in a forest near Xichang City intheremoteLiangshanprefecture, Xinhua quoted the city's emergency office as saying.Firefighters, forest police officers and armed police and a helicopter have been dispatched to battle the blaze, according to the emergency office. The cause of the fire was being investigated.Meanwhile, another forest fire, which broke out around 1 p.m. on Monday in Dechang County in the prefecture, has not yet been extinguished. Over 150 people and a helicopter are trying to contain the fire.