Your trusted source

The fire that burst out in Armenia’s “Khosrov” Forest State Reserve spread very quickly, with the immediate actions failing to yield any results, Artsvik Minasyan, Armenian Minister of Nature Protection said on Tuesday, the press service of the ministry reports.

“Particularly, being a state reserve where any activity is prohibited by law, an environment has formed there (“Khosrov” Forest State Reserve) through the course of time, putting the reserve at a high risk of fire. In spite of all the measures of restraint, the fire could not be prevented. As a result, it broke out and spread very quickly across the territory of the reserve, as well as through the areas of community significance,” the minister said.

“Currently the fire covers the substantial part of the reserve, which is considered an extremely great damage in terms of environmental protection. It has caused damages both to the flora, burning down century-old trees, and the fauna.”

Mr. Minasyan pointed out the presence of eco-corridors in the state reserve as its another peculiarity which hindered the rescuers to stop the fire.

“Firefighting works are carried out from the airspace, afterwards the remaining forest fires will be put out,” he added.

The Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection is applying to the volunteers, who arrive in Khosrov Reserve to join the firefighting works to enter from the first gate of Urtsadzor section. Here the employees of Nature Protection Ministry and Ministry of Emergency Situations will coordinate the distribution of the volunteers to different affected sections of the forest.