Nineteen people, 18 firemen and one farm staffer, were killed while battling a forest fire in southwestern China's Sichuan Province, media reported on Tuesday. 

The firemen were from a local civil fire brigade while the farm staffer was their guide. They were caught in the flames during the wee hours of Tuesday following a sudden shift of the wind. 

The fire erupted Monday afternoon at around 4 p.m. near a farm in the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. It soon spread toward Lushan scenic area due to strong wind.

On Monday evening, yellow smoke was also seen in Xichang City as fire edged toward the city.

Liangshan's fire department has already dispatched over 100 firefighters to the site while around 400 local police were standing by to help evacuate nearby residents and transport supplies.

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Forest fire breaks out in SW China's Sichuan Province