The fires, fuelled by strong winds, were raging in northeast China's Heilongjiang province and Yunnan province in the southwest, fire bureau officials said.

The worst hit areas were Yichun, Heihe and the Great Xingan Mountains in Heilongjiang.

"The fire in Yichun has been brought under control but there are still 11,000 firefighters working on the blazes," said Li Wenlin, a staff member at fire fighting department of the Bureau of Forestry in Heilongjiang.

"We have had no casualty reports as yet but the houses of 60 families are destroyed."

In Yunnan, 1,000 firefighters were tackling a blaze near the capital Kunming but were gradually bringing it under control.

"On the whole the fire has been brought under control but 1,000 firefighters are still at work," said Mao Zirong, from the forest fire fighting headquarters in Kunming.

He said it was too early to tell if anyone had died in the fire.

The China Daily said 30,000 fires had been reported across China so far this year. It said hundreds had died but gave no details.

SPACE.WIRE