Forest fires are raging for the fifth day in the Abai region. The wildfires on the territory of the Semei Ormany Nature Reserve broke out on June 8. As noted by the Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Situations, the fire spread rapidly, having engulfed 30,000 hectares of forest by the next day. Six helicopters and hundreds of units of equipment, including task forces from the neighboring regions, were deployed to fight the forest fires. Residents of the nearest three villages were being prepared for evacuation, some of them left their homes not waiting for an emergency. By Friday evening, a state of natural emergency was introduced in the region, the wildfires doubled in size with 60,000 hectares engulfed in flames. Specialists from the country’s Emergency departments of eight regions, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, as well as military personnel of the Ministry of Defense have already been involved in extinguishing the fire. On the night of June 10, it was reported that the area of wildfires exceeded 60,000 hectares. The aerial surveillance and water dumping were conducted to fight the wildfires.
Criminal case on accident in Abai region opened
An interdepartmental investigative task force has been set up to investigate the cause of the large-scale fire. A criminal case on the accident is being inquired under the article ‘Violation of fire safety requirements entailed death of two or more people by negligence’. In addition, the special prosecutor has initiated criminal proceedings for negligence.
“I think the circle of responsible people will be quite wide. Most likely it will include employees of the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry and the Forestry Committee responsible for fire safety in the region and in the forestry where the fire occurred,” said Serik Berkamalov, lawyer.
Wildfires in Abai region. Event timeline
According to the latest data from the Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Situations, the fire is still being extinguished. The work involves over 1,500 people and more than 300 vehicles. Also, 14 helicopters are used for aerial firefighting. A total of 2,000 tonnes of water has been dropped since the start of the fire.
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