VIDEO: Forest Fire in Lori Province

"A fire has broken out in the Lori forestry of the "Hayantar" State Non-Commercial Organization. Around 18:40 today, a spark caused by a short circuit in the electric wires of the railway ignited the fire in the Lori forestry managed by the Ministry of Environment's Forestry Committee," wrote Armen Vardanyan, the press secretary of the Minister of Environment, on his Facebook page.

The post continues:

"Forestry workers detected the fire in the forest near the Shakhali station of the railway adjacent to the community of Vahagnut. The fire has spread over an area of 5-6 hectares. Firefighting operations are underway, involving employees of the "Hayantar" SNCO, the Lori rescue service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the South Caucasian Railway Company. Director of the "Hayantar" SNCO, Areg Karapetyan, reports from the scene that the fire has been localized; due to the complex terrain, fire trucks cannot be used in extinguishing the fire, and extinguishing operations are being conducted with shovels and wet cloths," he wrote.

The video is available on Armen Vardanyan's Facebook page.