Forest fires partly contained, but still raging in western Iran

Some 300 hectares of forests in the western Iranian town of Marivan are still engulfed by wildfires as helicopters keep flying over the area to douse the flames.

A top environment official says the fire definitely had a human cause, saying an investigation is underway to find out whether it was ‘deliberate or unintentional.

“Fires in four out of five spots engulfed by flames have been extinguished, and two more choppers have been sent to the Darevaran area, which is still burning,” said Reza Akbari, the commander of the State Watershed and Natural Resources Protection Unit.

He said blazes in Darevaran had been put out, but were reignited due to high winds and heat.

“We hope to be able to extinguish the fire by the end of today (Saturday, August 05).”

The forest fires in Marivan, in the western Iranian province of Kurdistan, two weeks ago, had left several people injured.

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