In the Abai region, a forest fire in the Semey Ormany reserve is being extinguished with the help of aviation, as reported by a Tengrinews.kz correspondent (via the website infohub.kz).
According to the reserve, the fire was recorded on July 16 at 09:45 in block 57 of the Kamyshenskoye forestry of the Borodulikha branch.
"Seven state forestry guards, a tanker truck, a small forest firefighting complex, a tractor, and an aircraft from Kazavialesookhrana equipped with a Bambi Bucket water discharge device are involved in extinguishing the fire," the Ministry of Ecology said.
To reinforce the group, additional resources are being dispatched: two tanker trucks, two tractors, another small forest firefighting complex, 30 emergency workers from the Department of Emergency Situations with eight units of equipment, and 11 state forestry guards.
Additionally, an AS350 helicopter equipped with a Bambi Bucket, carrying airborne firefighters, took off from the village of Bukebay to the fire site. A Mi-8 helicopter from Kazavialesookhrana is en route from the village of Katon-Karagay.
According to the reserve, the air temperature in the fire area is 34 degrees Celsius, with a northwest wind speed of up to 4 meters per second, gusts up to 8 m/s. The region remains under a fifth, extreme fire danger class.
Work is ongoing to contain and extinguish the fire. According to the Semey Ormany State Forestry and Wildlife Protection Institution, the situation is under control.
Tragedy in Semey Ormany
On June 8, 2023, a forest fire broke out in the Semey Ormany nature reserve. At that time, rescuers assured there was no threat to populated areas.
On June 9, 2023, the fire area in the Abai region forest suddenly increased from 3 to 100 hectares. That same day, it reached 30,000 hectares of forest.
A NASA image from June 9, 2023, shows the fire's greatest extent was in the direction of the wind – from west to east. Later, the fire area in the Abai region forest expanded to 60,000 hectares. Fourteen forestry workers died in the blaze.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, a camera was not working on the eve of the large fire in Semey Ormany. On June 7, 2023, shortly before the massive forest fires began, one of the cameras in the Semey Ormany state forest nature reserve in the Abai region was turned off.