More than 800 firefighters, policemen and villagers were battling to put out a raging forest fire that broke out in the mountains in southwest China.

The inferno broke out around 4.30 p.m. Friday in Xichang region of Sichuan province.

There was no immediate report of casualties, China Daily reported Saturday.

Strong winds have fanned the blaze and made it difficult for firefighters trying to put out the inferno.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

It was the second major forest fire in southwest China this week.

On Thursday, another fire had broke out in Yunnan province, also in southwest China, and barely five kilometres away from the Yulong Snow Mountain, a tourist spot.

Some 3,000 people had joined the fire-fighting efforts.