Forest fire numbers soar nearly 50% in Kazakhstan

Speaking at a briefing at the Strategic Planning and Operational Management Center of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, Niyaz Zholbarys, Head of the State Control, Forest Protection and Conservation Department at the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, said forest fires have increased by 47.5% compared with the same period last year. The fires have affected approximately 10,300 hectares of state forest land.

He noted that extreme wildfire danger persists in several regions of the country.

“The class 5 wildfire danger has been declared in the Akmola, Pavlodar, Karaganda and Almaty regions. In response, continuous monitoring is being carried out, and forest protection units have been placed on high alert,” Zholbarys said.

He also added that the wildfire in the Semey Ormany State Forest Nature Reserve has been fully contained. All available ground firefighting resources remain deployed in the area.

“Since the beginning of the wildfire season, 157 forest fires have been recorded in the Semey Ormany reserve. Of these, 156 were contained in small areas. The average area of these fires was around 0.1 hectares,” he said.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the wildfire in the Semey Ormany State Forest Nature Reserve had been brought under control after firefighters extinguished the flames.