200 hectares of forest burning in Abkhazia

A fire has broken out on the Sukhum pass from the side of the village of Pskhu, the flames covered about 150 – 200 hectares of forest over a length of about two kilometers.

Currently strong smoke and flames are making it difficult to determine the exact extent of the fire. 

Rescuers flew around in a helicopter along the most accessible area. 

Rescuers say there are many local fires.  The fire is spreading in hard-to-reach areas of the highlands; it will be possible to extinguish the fire only with the help of special aircraft.

Minister of Emergency Situations Lev Kvitsinia said that he had appealed to colleagues in Russia with a request for help.

“The fire hasn’t reached the tree tops, but the leaves are smoldering, there is a lot of smoke.  And everything looks very strange – smoke in several places. But there are fears that the trees will light up, and this is poses a danger to the forest,” Lev Kvitsinia told reporters.

The fire is moving towards the Gudauta district, that is, to the west.

Rescuers are sure that the fire is man-made; there are no residential buildings nearby.

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