Fires in Iran’s Forest Areas; Fire in Andika, Arrests of Khayiz Arsonists

Authorities in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province report filing a legal case against two herders who were responsible for arson in Khayiz forests; simultaneously, a fire in Andika forests in Khuzestan Province has spread, and several other provinces have issued warnings in this regard.

Khayiz

The Director General of Environmental Protection in Kohgiluyeh said on Thursday, June 15, that “two arsonists” were identified and arrested.

Asdollah Hashemi stated that the arrest of these two individuals was carried out by the prosecutor’s office in Behbahan in Khuzestan Province, and the Kohgiluyeh Environmental Protection Department has prepared a complaint against these two persons that will be followed up after the holidays.

Tasnim News Agency also reported, citing the Director General of Environmental Protection in Kohgiluyeh, that in the Khayiz fire, 40 hectares of forests and rangelands were burned.

According to Tasnim, the arsonists were “two herders living on the edge of Khayiz Mountain” who “due to a property dispute” set fire to the disputed lands and were released from prison on bail.

Fire in Andika Forests

Local authorities in Khuzestan Province say that the fire in forests around Andika city, which began on Tuesday, continues and intensified on Thursday.

Kiamars Hajizadeh, Director General of Crisis Management in Khuzestan, said on Thursday to IRNA news agency: Given the large volume of fire, a water-spraying helicopter has been requested that “will enter the area in a few hours.”

Last week, during fires in areas of Kohgiluyeh, Khuzestan, and Bushehr Provinces, the failure to deploy water-spraying helicopters due to “the Forests Organization’s debt to the Ministry of Defense” provoked much criticism, and ultimately, the Planning and Budget Organization provided half of the debt amount.

Eman Norouzi, Head of the Red Crescent in Andika, also told ISNA that fires in forest areas continue in the vicinity of the villages of “Abbid” and “Ab-e Karre,” and so far at least one of the fire-fighters has been injured.

According to IRNA, Andika city has approximately 150,000 hectares of forests, with 90 percent of these trees being oak and 10 percent being other tree species.

Warnings in Other Provinces

Local authorities in several Iranian provinces, particularly northern provinces, have strongly warned about the risk of fires.

Abutaleb Ghazalsoflu, Director General of Natural Resources in Golestan Province, while warning about the possibility of fires in forest and rangeland areas of the province, said: Golestan is one of the provinces with high fire potential in forest areas, and “despite having 50,000 hectares of coniferous forests, the fire potential in the province increases severely.”

In Isfahan Province as well, Mansour Shishehfroush, Director General of Crisis Management, with the warning that “10 percent of the natural resources areas of the province are prone to fires,” mentioned the most important current demand as the deployment of a helicopter equipped with a water basket in Isfahan city.

Authorities in North Khorasan Province also reported on Thursday the occurrence of fire in the rangelands of the Chapanerlu region, but according to Musa Hayati, commander of the protection force of the General Department of Natural Resources of this province, the fire was extinguished with the help of emergency forces and local people.

According to this official, five fires occurred in the rangeland areas of this province during the current week, with three cases in Shirvan and two cases in Esfarayen.

Source: Radio Farda