Artificial rain helps douse mountain fire in north China

TAIYUAN, June 16 (Xinhua) -- A mountain fire in north China's Shanxi Province has been put out as of Sunday noon, after four days of firefighting efforts aided by artificial rain, local authorities said Sunday.

More than 2,200 firefighters, assisted by 63 excavators and 88 water tankers, were involved in the firefighting efforts, according to the emergency response headquarters in Anze County in the city of Linfen.

Initially, the firefighting efforts faced challenges due to the steep mountain slopes, high temperatures and windy weather conditions. Local authorities later resorted to cloud seeding operations to induce rainfall on Saturday evening to help douse the fire that broke out on Wednesday.

Following the containment of the fire, firefighters began clearing the scene on Sunday afternoon.

The mountain fire in Anze County, known for its dense woodland coverage and susceptibility to forest fires, was initially believed to be caused by lightning, an investigation revealed.