China wildfire contained after killing 27 firefighters, 3 people

Firefighters have contained a blaze high in the rugged forested mountains of western China that claimed the lives of 30 of their colleagues.

A woman mourns the loss of people and firefighters killed in a forest fire in Muli county. Source: AFP

State media said open flames were extinguished and only a few areas on Tuesday continued to emit smoke, with no further threat.

The bodies of the dead firefighters were brought to the town of Xichang in Sichuan province, while three helicopters had brought in reinforcements to permanently extinguish the blaze.

A fire high in the forested mountains of western China that killed 30 firefighters has been quelled. Source: AAP

Changing winds on Sunday trapped the 27 firefighters and three helpers as they sought to quell the fire in Muli, a Tibetan autonomous county.

A total of 689 people had been battling the blaze on Sunday at an altitude of 3800 metres above sea level, state broadcaster CGTN said.

Chinese soldiers board on a helicopter in China's southwestern Sichuan province, preparing to rescue firefighters trapped by a forest blaze in Muli County. Source: AFP

The death toll appeared to be the worst among firefighters since 2015, when an explosion at a chemical warehouse in the port of Tianjin killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and other first responders.