Two people have died and six have been injured after a forest fire broke out in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, local authorities said on Sunday.

The fire started at about midnight on Saturday on a barren hill in Machang Village in the city of Guyuan, according to the region's department of emergency management.

By 4:40 p.m. on Saturday, the fire had scorched around 33.3 hectares of land. By Sunday morning, over 2,000 people had been mobilized to extinguish the fire. The deaths and injuries occurred during the process.

An initial investigation revealed the fire was caused by people visiting a grave on the hill. It is a Chinese tradition to pay tribute to late friends and family by burning fake paper money and other possessions.

By 8:10 a.m. on Sunday, the fire had been put out. Local authorities have evacuated residents living within a 20-km radius of the site and checked the area to prevent a resurgence of the fire.