A forest fire that broke out last Friday in Vietnam's northern Lao Cai province continued to be out of control, although more than 500 forest rangers and local people were joining to put it out, reported the local Committee for Forest Fire Control on Tuesday.

The fire started in Sa Pa district, about 80 km from Lao Cai City and over 40 km from Sa Pa town.

Local authorities said that it was difficult to stamp out the fire due to the lack of telecommunications coverage, strong winds and rough terrain. The spots still on fire are at 1,700-1,900 meters above the sea level and would take hours to approach.

Fire fighters are equipped with food, medicine, tools and fire prevention equipment. So far, there are not yet any casualties or damage reported by the local authorities.

The fire broke out in the Hoang Lien National Park, which is located at 1,000-3,000 meters high above the sea level and covers an area of nearly 30,000 ha spreading across six upland communes in northern Lao Cai and Lai Chau provinces.

The park has been recognized by the ASEAN Secretariat as heritage site in 2006, due to its diversity of animals and plants, including many rare species, and for being home to Fansipan, Indochina's highest mountain at 3,143 meters.