The 'very large' extent of the fire in the Marivan forests, along with the explosion of several mines in this border area, has made firefighting operations nearly uncontrollable. The Director General of Crisis Management of Kurdistan Province reported on Friday, August 4, the explosion of several mines in the 'Asanabad' area due to the ongoing fire in the Marivan forests since the previous day and the request for the dispatch of a third helicopter for firefighting. Saeed Karimi, in an interview with ISNA, introduced the 'Asanabad' region, part of Marivan, as one of the military areas during the war with Iraq, citing the presence of significant munitions, including landmines, as a reason for the difficulty in controlling the fire. According to local and national officials, this fire, which started on Thursday, August 3, from a part of the 'Asanabad' area in Iraq, continues despite the presence of provincial and local forces and two helicopters, with reports from Tasnim News Agency indicating that extinguishing operations may take four days. The governor of Marivan, Ismail Ahmadi, announced that this fire has affected seven points in the Marivan forests after entering the country. The Director General of Natural Resources of Kurdistan, Behzad Sharifi, also stated in an interview with IRNA that the forests of at least two areas, 'Darhvaran' and 'Shasnehveh', continue to burn despite the efforts of natural resource forces and the dispatch of two helicopters. The head of the Fire Control and Support Center of the Ministry of Defense, Mohammad Mahdi Noori Al-Agha, reported that the burned areas cover approximately two hundred hectares. The 'Open Data Iran' platform recently reported the destruction of over 45,000 hectares of Iran's forests between 2020 and 2021, identifying Kurdistan as one of the provinces with the highest rate of forest destruction in the country. Furthermore, the report indicated that the main cause of forest destruction in Iran is extensive wildfires. Other related incidents include a fire in the industrial town of Doroud, environmental disasters in the Arjan plain, a fire in oil reservoirs in Bandar Abbas, and the arrest of three environmental activists amid clashes between the IRGC and PJAK in the Sarvabad mountains.
Extensive Fire and Mine Explosion in Marivan Forests
A significant wildfire in the Marivan forests, exacerbated by explosions from landmines, has rendered firefighting efforts nearly impossible. Local officials report that the fire has spread to multiple areas, with ongoing challenges due to the presence of unexploded ordnance. This situation highlights the environmental crisis and the dangers posed by remnants of war in the region.
👥 Key Players
⚡ Actions
📰 What Happened
Extensive fire in Marivan forests leads to mine explosions, complicating firefighting efforts.
- Saeed Karimi announce firefighting operations
- Saeed Karimi request third helicopter
- Mohammad Mahdi Noori Al-Agha report burned areas
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
The extensive fire in Marivan forests complicates firefighting due to mine explosions.
📝 Key Evidence
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%