Wildfire scorches more than 500,000 hectares in eastern Mongolia

The fire affected 448,993.6 hectares of the 587,744.1-hectare protected area located in Khalkhgol soum, Dornod aimag. An additional 55,966.8 hectares outside the protected zone were also affected, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia confirmed.

Satellite mapping based on Sentinel-2 imagery, which provides a spatial resolution of 10 meters, showed that the total area affected by the wildfire reached 504,960.4 hectares.

The mapping was conducted by the Satellite Applications and Remote Sensing Division of the Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology, and Environmental Research under the National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring.

Meanwhile, a specialized working group has been deployed to assess the damage caused by the wildfire in the Numrug Strictly Protected Area. The team includes forensic experts and specialists in forestry and plant research.

The working group has organized the necessary equipment and power supply to support field operations. Experts are conducting assessments at designated locations using two helicopters to evaluate the impact of the fire.

Earlier, Qazinform reported the main blaze had been contained at the Seoul shantytown fire, with no casualties reported.