China will invest 2.4 billion yuan (US$289 million) in building eight fire-fighting depots in its fire-prone grasslands.

Planning for the depots has been approved and completed and they are scheduled to go into operation at the end of this year, according to an official with the Ministry of Agriculture, who was commenting yesterday on this year's plans for fire prevention in grassland regions.

Each depot will cost 300 million yuan (US$36 million) and will be used to store fire extinguishers, satellite transmission appliances and other equipment used in fire safety and extinguishing, said Zhang Zhishan, vice-director of the Office of Grassland Fire Precautions under the ministry.

In another development, the office required in a circular that all fire departments operating in the grasslands of North China keep vigilant against "spring fires".

According to the circular, issued to all the grassland fire precaution offices of provincial governments, major blazes frequently occur in the Xilingol League and in northeastern parts of the Hulunbuir League, both in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Meanwhile officials should be wary of fires from neighbouring countries crossing borders, which has happened a number of times over the last ten years.

Fires are also forecast for Ili, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Daqing in Heilongjiang Province and Baicheng in Jilin Province.

The situation in the grasslands is "more serious than ever," said Zhang.

Last winter and this spring, the grasslands were hit heavily by snow storms, which have kept the herds from eating the grass. The grass is now withered and dry and highly flammable.

Based on historical data and weather information, fires frequent China's grasslands in spring and autumn when the weather is dry and there is little rain, according to Zhang.