Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov has instructed Minister of Emergency Situations Chingis Arinov and Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nyssanbayev to immediately travel to the Abai region to coordinate firefighting efforts, according to infohub.kz.
The ministers are tasked with coordinating all operations to extinguish the forest fire in the Semey Ormany reserve, taking prompt measures to prevent the fire from spreading, and ensuring the protection of nearby populated areas.
As of 4:00 p.m., more than 400 people are involved in fighting the fire. Around 100 units of ground equipment are on site. Water drops totaling over 100 tons have been made on the hot spots. Prime Minister Bektenov is personally overseeing the work of the operational headquarters at the scene.
On July 16, emergency services were mobilized in the Borodulikha district of the Abai region. A large forest fire broke out in the territory of the state forest nature reserve Semey Ormany. Given the high fire danger in this region, large-scale forces have been rapidly deployed.
In early June 2023, a massive forest fire in the Semey Ormany reserve claimed the lives of 15 forest rangers. In early June 2026, at a government briefing, journalists asked Vice Minister Nurken Sharbiyev what measures the ministry had taken to prevent similar tragedies in the future, whether salaries of workers had increased, and whether specialized equipment had been updated.