The fatalities occurred on Sunday morning as more than 1,000 residents and five teams of forest firefighters battled the blaze in Maijiu township, Xinhua news agency said.

The fire was brought under control on Sunday after consuming some 93 hectares (229 acres) of woods, the report said.

The blaze was started after a local villager threw away a burning cigarette while walking through the forest, it said.

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