More than 3,000 firefighters and other personnel were battling a fire that started Saturday in southwest China's Yunnan Province, local authorities said Tuesday.

The fire broke out at around 3:33 p.m. Saturday in the city of Anning.

On early Tuesday morning, the fire spread to the neighboring Lufeng County under Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture.

As of Tuesday noon, more than 3,000 firefighters, officers and soldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, local cadres and other personnel were still battling the fire at the site with the help of 29 sets of machinery and four fire-fighting helicopters.