Two people were killed and another eight injured in a grassland fire Saturday in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, local authorities said Sunday. The fire was discovered in East Ujimqin banner (county) in the Xilin Gol league (prefecture) and went out during the night, Xinhua quoted the local government as saying in a statement. The injuries of the eight were not life threatening. An initial investigation showed that the fire was caused by a short circuit due to malfunctioning power lines, it said. Another three grassland fires were also reported in other areas of the league, which were all extinguished by Saturday. More than 1,500 fire fighters and 230 vehicles were mobilized for fire control. The weather has become hot with strong wind in the grassland-covered region, posing fire risks for grassland fire.
