Chinese authorities on Monday issued an orange alert for forest fires in the southwestern provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan, which have received unusually scarce rainfall this month.
The national forest fire prevention headquarters under the State Forestry Administration said in a statement that the two provinces have seen little rainfall and above-average temperatures since the beginning of January, with precipitation down 80 percent and temperatures up 1 to 2 degrees Celsius from the period's average.
Meteorological authorities have forecast sunny weather for drought-hit southern Sichuan and northwestern Yunnan in the following week, which will increase forest fire risks, the statement said.
The headquarters has ordered local authorities to step up monitoring and patrols to guard against possible outbreaks and to prepare better emergency plans.
Following the red alert, the orange alert is the second highest alert in China's four-tiered forest fire warning system.
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