Firefighting Operations Continue at the Foot of Mount Ara

As of August 23 at 11:00, 9 firefighters are on duty in the Kotayk region, while 17 firefighters are extinguishing the fire in the Aragatsotn region, where there are still smoldering hotspots. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia, the fire was contained at 19:27, and monitoring is ongoing.

On August 20, at 09:16, the emergency services received a call reporting that dry grass was burning near a sand quarry at the foot of Mount Ara in Kotayk. Two operational groups from the regional rescue department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and two fire-fighting teams were dispatched to the scene. The total area affected by the fire in the mentioned area is approximately 150 hectares.

The firefighting efforts involve six operational groups from the regional rescue department of the Ministry, seven fire-fighting teams, and two rescue units from the special operations center for rescue operations (a total of 92 rescuers), alongside 15 local residents from Saralanj village, 30 from Ara village, 20 from Zoravan village, 15 from Yeghvard city, and 20 from nearby villages in Aragatsotn, as well as 18 forestry workers. The fire was successfully contained on August 21 at 02:15.

It was established that approximately 1,300 hectares of dry grass are burning in the Kotayk region, while 500 hectares are burning in the Aragatsotn region. At 09:50, a new hotspot was discovered in the area leading from the cemetery of Zoravan village to Mount Ara, which was contained by 18:15, and monitoring is being maintained.