E China fire contained

A forest fire that has raged in east China's Shandong province since Thursday afternoon was contained on Friday morning. No casualties were reported and hundreds of locals have been evacuated to emergency shelters nearby.

The fire broke out at about 3 p.m. on Thursday in a forest in the coastal city of Weihai and quickly spread with the help of a strong wind, the city government said in a statement.

Fire fronts can be seen at sections of Huanshan Road near the forest. The smoke has reduced visibility in neighboring urban areas.

The road has been closed and patrollers are warning people not to enter the fire zone.

Nearby residents have been relocated to emergency shelters at Weihai International Exhibition Center and a gymnasium. A total of 813 people had been settled in the exhibition center as of 5:30 am Friday, according to Miao Jia, deputy chief of the Weihai Civil Affairs Bureau.

Local authorities have prepared quilts, food, drinking water and toilet paper.

More than 2,000 firefighters have worked to contain the fire, and efforts were complicated by the heavy wind packing speeds of up to 61 km per hour, the statement from the city government said.