Makanshy, 26 October. Dry grass and reeds caught fire on the Zharsu site of the Karabulak rural district in Makanshy district, Abai region; an operational headquarters has been set up to coordinate the response, and about 60 people, 18 vehicles and a drone have been deployed, the Emergencies Ministry said.
The fire has been contained, and there is no threat to settlements. Emergency departments of the Abai and Zhetysu regions, fire posts from the villages of Karabulak and Karatal and local authorities are working on site. Residents had earlier complained that the land nearby had been burning for more than a week.
This is the second major wildfire in the district in a week. On 20 October grass and reeds up to three metres tall caught fire on the swampy Uzynbulak site of the Kabanbai rural district, 22 km from the village of Kabanbai; strong winds and marshland hampered firefighting. That fire was put out only by 23 October: it burned 1,500 hectares, with about 140 people, 33 vehicles and three drones involved.
What it means: A dry autumn with strong winds turns reed beds in the east of the country into a source of drawn-out fires: marshes make them hard to fight, and the fire spreads quickly through dry vegetation.
Who benefits: Nobody. Firefighting ties up emergency forces from two regions, and the burned areas lose their vegetation for a time.
Background: In autumn the Emergencies Ministry warns that wind spreads fire quickly through dry grass; on 25 October three more forest fires were recorded in the country.
We have also reported that frosts down to −11 °C and three forest fires accompanied a storm warning in 16 regions.
