More than 3,000 people evacuated in central China after a forest fire breaks out

 China activated an emergency response to control a forest fire that began to spread this Saturday in the province of Sichuan, in the center of the country, and left 3,396 evacuees.

As reported this Sunday by the provincial emergency management department, the fire began on Saturday afternoon in Baizi village, Yajiang county, Garze Tibetan prefecture.

At this time no casualties have been reported as firefighters continue working to extinguish the fire.

However, a total of 3,396 people from 11 towns were evacuated, according to the agency, because the strong winds quickly fanned the flames until they spread across the multiple mountain ridges in the area.

According to the state agency Xinhua this Sunday, some 1,000 people have been sent and seven helicopters have been mobilized to fight the fire.

Another 750 troops have been sent from neighboring Yunnan province to provide additional support.

Several residents in the area assured the agency that the fire was not visible from the administrative center of Yajiang county and that water, electricity and communications services had not been affected.

However, the fire has also caused the closure of several local roads.

The National Commission for Disaster Prevention and the Ministry of Emergency Management already announced a few weeks ago that the country would face natural disasters this month with possible floods, drops in temperature, sand storms and forest fires.