Forest fire breaks out in southwestern China

A forest fire broke out on a hillside in China's southwestern Sichuan province on Monday.

Local rescue teams rushed to the fire spot in Xichang city of the province, with no immediate reports of any kind of losses, state-run broadcaster CGTN reported.

Brief footage aired by the broadcaster showed giant columns of smoke billowing upwards from the hillside.

China is currently under a strong cold front that is causing the heaviest rainfall and snow in central and eastern China.

Heavy rains have been lashing parts of the Liaoning, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region since last Tuesday, according to National Meteorological Center.