1,500 battling forest fire in China

More than 1,500 firefighters and soldiers are battling a forest fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon in Kunming city in southwest China's Yunnan province, authorities said.

The fire spread to Anning City under Kunming at 8:15 p.m., according to Xinhua.

No casualties have been reported, the local forest fire prevention headquarters said.

The blaze was first spotted in Lizhe village of Xishan district at 3:20 p.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation.