Fire in Iran's forest areas; Fire in Indica, Arrest of Khaiz Fire Arsonists

Authorities in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces have announced the filing of a legal case against two ranchers who were responsible for the fire in the Khayiz forests; at the same time, fires have spread in the Indica forests in Khuzestan province, and a number of other provinces have also issued warnings about this.

Khayyaz

The Director General of Kohgiluyeh Environmental Protection told ISNA on Thursday, June 5, that "two arsonists" had been identified and arrested.

Asadollah Hashemi said that the arrest of the two was carried out by the Behbahan Prosecutor's Office in Khuzestan Province, and that the Kohgiluyeh Environmental Department has prepared a complaint against the two people, which will be followed up after the holidays.

Tasnim News Agency also reported, quoting the Director General of Environmental Protection in Kohgiluyeh, that 40 hectares of forests and pastures burned in the Khaiz fire.

According to Tasnim, the perpetrators of the fire were "two ranchers living on the edge of Mount Khaiz" who set fire to the disputed lands "due to a property dispute" and have been released from prison on bail.

Fire in the Indica forests

Local officials in Khuzestan province say a forest fire in the surrounding Andika County, which began on Tuesday, is still ongoing and intensified on Thursday.

Kiamarth Hajizadeh, the director general of Khuzestan's crisis management, told IRNA on Thursday: "Given the high volume of fire, a water-spraying helicopter has been requested and will arrive in the area in the next few hours."

Last week, during fires in areas of Kohgiluyeh, Khuzestan, and Bushehr provinces, the failure to dispatch water-spraying helicopters due to the "debt of the Forestry Organization to the Ministry of Defense" sparked much criticism, and ultimately, the Planning and Budget Organization provided half of the debt.

Iman Norouzi, head of the Indika Red Crescent, also told ISNA that fires are continuing in forest areas near the villages of Abbid and Abkore, and at least one firefighter has been injured so far.

According to IRNA, there are about 150,000 hectares of forest in Indika County, 90 percent of which are oak trees and 10 percent are other tree species.

Warning in other provinces

Local authorities in a number of Iranian provinces, especially the northern provinces, have issued a strong warning about the possibility of fires.

Abutaleb Qezelsaflo, Director General of Natural Resources of Golestan Province, warned of the occurrence of fires in the forest and pasture areas of the province, saying: Golestan is one of the provinces with a high fire capacity in forest areas, and "with 50,000 hectares of coniferous forest, the fire potential in the province is increasing sharply."

In Isfahan Province, Mansour Shisheforosh, the Director General of Crisis Management, warned that "10 percent of the province's natural resource areas are susceptible to fire," and mentioned the most important current demand for the deployment of a helicopter equipped with a water basket in the city of Isfahan.

Officials in North Khorasan Province also announced on Thursday that a fire had broken out in the pastures of the Chapanlu region, but according to Musa Hayati, commander of the conservation unit of the province's General Directorate of Natural Resources, the fire was extinguished with the help of rescue forces and locals.

According to this law enforcement official, five fires occurred in the province's pastures this week, three in Shirvan and two in Esfarayen.

Source: Radio Farda