BEIJING, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities are working to restore social order and infrastructure in Ya'an of southwest China's Sichuan Province, badly hit by a strong earthquake on Saturday.
Firefighters started a fire prevention and control campaign at the settlement sites in the quake-hit areas on Monday, according to the Ministry of Public Security.
Firefighting units are coordinating with local authorities to gain a full understanding of the situation in the sites.
The fire department will deploy a portion of its staff to conduct fire prevention patrols at victims' settlement sites, set up firefighting service points and organize volunteers to join the campaign.
Police at the quake zone have also been asked to control traffic and maintain transport order so as to streamline the rescue and relief work.
Vice Minister of Public Security Huang Ming, who arrived in the quake-hit area on Sunday, ordered the police to ensure the safety of roads leading to and from the affected area and strengthen traffic diversion programs throughout the area.
Huang also urged police to strengthen security checkpoints and coordinate with armed police forces.
In order to leave a clear path for quake relief personnel and materials, he told police to instruct people to avoid traveling to affected areas by car.
Heavy traffic jams have been reported on roads leading to Lushan County, the quake epicenter, since Sunday.
He Zongzhi, head of the Sichuan provincial traffic police force, told Xinhua that traffic in Lushan has far exceeded the capacity of its roads.
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