Brush fires burn in southwest China

Brush fires have forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people in the southwest Chinese megacity of Chongqing, where weeks of record heat and drought have disrupted industry production and people's lives.

The fires started at around 5 p.m. (9 a.m GMT) on Sunday in Jieshi Town in the south of Chongqing and rescuers had checked the spread of the fires as of Monday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Local authorities said more than 1,500 people were evacuated because of the fires, and that the size of the areas being burned as well as cause of the fires are under investigation, CCTV said. No casualties were reported in the fires, according to CCTV.

The fires are the latest scourge possibly resulting from the heat and drought. The Chinese government says this summer is China's hottest and driest since it began keeping temperature and rainfall records in 1961. Temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for the past week and longer.