SW China forest fire extinguished

A forest fire that has raged since last Sunday in southwest China's Yunnan province was extinguished Wednesday morning, local firefighters said.

The forest fire was extinguished around 10:30 a.m. with the help of 2,500 fighters and local citizens, the provincial forest fire prevention headquarters said.

Firefighters are still on the scene to make sure the fire doesn't reignite, the headquarters said.

The fire broke out at 5:25 p.m. Sunday in Yimen county. It spread despite overnight firefighting efforts, reaching Caopu township in Anning, a county-level city on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Kunming, on Monday.

Police have arrested a suspect who was charged with littering cigarette butts while performing electrical maintenance work in the forest.

A severe drought has lingered in Yunnan for three consecutive years, causing water shortages for several million residents and creating fire risks.

Yunnan is China's second most heavily-forested province, with a total forest coverage of 47 percent.