About 5 Hectares of Vegetation Burnt in Khosrov Forest

After three days of firefighting efforts, the fire that broke out in the Khosrov Forest State Reserve has been extinguished. This was reported by the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

On June 21, at 07:00, 17 rescuers were sent to the Khosrov Forest State Reserve to conduct reconnaissance operations.

It is worth noting that on June 18, at 14:41, the National Crisis Management Center received information about smoke being observed from the first checkpoint of the Khosrov Forest State Reserve in the direction of "Kyusus".

Emergency response units were dispatched, including the operational group from the Ararat regional rescue department and five firefighting teams, four rescue teams from the Special Rescue Operations Center, and operational groups from the Firefighting and Rescue Operations Organization Department and the Service Organization Department.

Aerial reconnaissance was conducted using a helicopter, and a drone was also deployed for surveying the area. At 21:25, firefighting activities were suspended due to darkness.

A total of 60 rescuers, 40 forestry employees, four employees from the Wildlife and Cultural Heritage Preservation Fund, and ten volunteers from the village of Urcadzor were present at the scene.

On June 19, at 05:30, firefighting efforts resumed with 86 rescuers, 16 employees from the reserve, and three main fire engines, one all-terrain vehicle, one special vehicle for communication, and six rescue vehicles involved.

Regular aerial reconnaissance and monitoring were conducted using a drone from the reserve. It was found that approximately 5 hectares of grass cover were burning, with one smoking hotspot where 34 rescuers and six forestry workers were operating.

Due to the inaccessibility of the fire site for firefighting vehicles, rescuers transported firefighting equipment, tools, and a large quantity of water over a distance of about 2 km.

The operation was supervised on-site by the Deputy Director of the Emergency Situations Service, Colonel A. Grigoryan, Head of the Rescue Forces Department, Colonel T. Petrosyan, Head of the Service Organization Department, Colonel T. Avagyan, and Head of the Ararat Regional Rescue Department, Colonel V. Hovsepyan.

The fire was contained at 19:10, with 120 rescuers and 16 forestry workers participating in the activity.

On June 20, at 08:00, reconnaissance operations resumed in the Khosrov Forest State Reserve. By 20:30, firefighters had extinguished all smoking hotspots, with 43 rescuers and six forestry workers involved in the firefighting efforts. Approximately 5 hectares of vegetation have burned, with operations for dismantling and extinguishing smoking hotspots, tree stumps, and peat areas carried out. Duty was maintained at the site.