- Title: MONGOLIA: FORTY HUGE FORES FIRES RAGE OUT OF CONTROL IN MONGOLIA
- Date: 17th July 1995
- Summary: MOENGON MORIT COUNTY, MONGOLIA (RECENT) 1. AERIALS OF FIRES BURNING IN FOREST AREA 0.32 2. SV FOREIGN EXPERTS IN HELICOPTER 0.35 3. GV HELICOPTER LANDING 0.40 4. GV REAR VIEW FIREFIGHTERS EXITING HELICOPTER 0.50 5. GV HELICOPTER ON GROUND NEXT TO FIREFIGHTERS TENT 0.58 6. GV FIREFIGHTERS PREPARING TOOLS 1.03 7. GV MEAT DRYING ON RACK IN FRONT OF TENT 1.08 8. SVS FOREIGN FIRE EXPERTS LISTENING TO FIREFIGHTERS EXPLAINING THAT THEY ONLY HAVE AN INSECTICIDE CONTAINER TO FIGHT FIRES 1.28 ULAN BATOR (MAY 31, 1996) 9. SCU AMERICAN FIRE EXPERT DEANNE SHULMAN SAYING,"THESE KINDS OF FIRES WOULD BE CHALLENGING FOR ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH.IN THE UNITED STATES WE HAVE AIR TANKERS AND A GREATER NUMBER OF HELICOPTERS AND LOTS OF TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT,BUT WE ALSO WOULD HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME.SO REALLY UNTIL WE HAVE A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER AND WE GET SOME RAIN HERE,THE PROBLEM WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE." 1.55 10. SV SHULMAN SAYING "I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING OF THIS SCALE BEFORE. WE HAVE HAD LARGE SEVERE FIRE SEASONS IN THE UNITED STATES, BUT THE MILLIONS OF HECTARES INVOLVED HERE EXCEED ANYTHING I HAVE SEEN." (ENGLISH) 2.08 ZUUNKHARAA, SELENGE PROVINCE (RECENT) 11. AERIAL OF SMOKE-BLANKETED TOWN 2.13 12. GV SUN THROUGH SMOKE-FILLED SKY 2.17 13. GVS CHILDREN RUNNING TO HELICOPTER 2.33 14. GV HELICOPTER IN FIELD IN ZUUNKHARA 2.37 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 1st August 1995 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MOENGON MORIT COUNTY, ULAN BATOR, AND ZUUNKHARAA, SELENGE PROVINCE, MONGOLIA
- City:
- Country: Mongolia
- Reuters ID: LVA73IX8PLNYA6G9G4JKO1SD7R45
- Story Text: A fire expert from the United States (U.S.) has warned that only prolonged, heavy rain could douse 40 huge fires which have been raging out of control in Mongolia for several weeks.
Five weeks of fires in Mongolia have killed 24 people, seriously injured 62 and have made thousands homeless. One fire near the Russian border was reported to be 120 km (75 miles) long and 70 km (43 miles) wide.
"I haven't seen anything on this scale before," said Deanne Shulman of the United States Forest Service.
Wind-blown blazes have devoured tens of thousands of square kilometres of Mongolia's grassland and forest, dealing a heavy blow to the nation's fragile economy.
"We have had large, severe fire seasons in the U.S., but the millions of hectares involved here exceeds anything I have seen," said Shulman, a fire management officer at California's Sequoia National Forest.
Cash-strapped Mongolian firefighters without protective clothing have often been forced to fight fires armed with little more than branches or items of their own clothing.
Pilots returning to the capital from northern provinces reported recently that firefighters in the region had been short of food. Western diplomats said many provinces had run out of money.
"These kinds of fires would be challenging for any country in the world to have to deal with," she said. "The fires situation is very serious. There will be long term impact." Thousands of trained firefighters, soldiers, police and local residents were battling 41 blazes in eight provinces, Mongolian officials said. A further 89 fires were considered under partial control.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
