<p>The 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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />About 2,000 people have joined the fire-fighting efforts. An emergency medical team has been sent to the scene.<br /><br />Of the 22 victims, 15 were soldiers, two were workers with the grassland administration while five others were local civilians, officials said. <br /><br />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.</p>
<p>The 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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />About 2,000 people have joined the fire-fighting efforts. An emergency medical team has been sent to the scene.<br /><br />Of the 22 victims, 15 were soldiers, two were workers with the grassland administration while five others were local civilians, officials said. <br /><br />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.</p>