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.
