Soaring temperatures may hinder efforts to control the huge forest fire that is spreading in Northeast China.
Local authorities warned that the hot and dry conditions forecast for the next few days will make it difficult to put out the flames.
More than 12,000 firefighters continue to battle with the blaze.
Smoke was first spotted on Saturday in the Greater Hinggan mountains in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region.
The fire has since spread to neighbouring Heilongjiang Province, according to the local state run news agency.
Earlier in the week, China's National Forest Fire Prevention Headquarters issued a red alert which is the highest possible warning for forest fires.
The cause of the blaze is not clear, although local authorities say it may have been caused by lightning.
Temperatures in the region have also been up to eight degrees higher than normal, according to the Inner Mongolian Meteorological Bureau.
Comments