JOIN USThe wildfire was raging through a grassland atop a plateau some six kilometre from the county government seat in Daofu County in Sichuan province, Xinhua reported.
Officials said the blaze broke out at Sunday noon and was brought under control around 3 pm. However, gusting winds boosted the flames and trapped people fighting the fire.
About 2,000 people have joined the fire-fighting efforts. An emergency medical team has been sent to the scene.
Of the 22 victims, 15 were soldiers, two were workers with the grassland administration while five others were local civilians, officials said.
Daofu sits in a forest-covered area at the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It has a population of 45,000, about 89 per cent of whom are ethnic Tibetans. A string of deadly fires hit China in recent weeks as most parts of the country brace for an especially dry winter.