Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology reported that open flames in the Semey Ormany reserve have been fully extinguished, but firefighters continue to battle smoldering hotspots, according to infohub.kz.
As of 8:00 a.m., 769 personnel, 191 pieces of ground equipment, and 8 helicopters have been deployed. Firefighting operations are ongoing around the clock.
Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nysanbayev and Abai Region Governor Berik Uali conducted an aerial inspection of the fire zone.
"During the night, efforts focused on extinguishing the fire along the entire perimeter, patrolling, and wetting the fire edge to prevent further spread. With daylight, a ground team was immediately sent into the fire's epicenter to tackle hard-to-reach areas," the ministry said.
The ministry added that no open flames are currently observed, and work continues to eliminate isolated smoldering spots. "At the same time, intensive aerial operations are underway, with aircraft dropping water onto internal burning areas," it noted. Since the start of the operation, aircraft have made 243 water drops, delivering 546 metric tons of water to the fire.
On July 16, emergency services were mobilized in the Borodulikha district of the Abai region after a large forest fire broke out in the Semey Ormany reserve. Given the high fire risk in the area, substantial resources were deployed. Later, at the instruction of Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Emergency Situations Minister Chingis Arinov and Ecology Minister Yerlan Nysanbayev traveled to the Abai region. Over the past day, 10 forest fires were recorded across Kazakhstan's state forest fund.