Firefighters need 4-5 days to extinguish wildfire in Kazakhstan’s north: Senior official

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Firefighters would need four to five days to extinguish the ongoing wildfire in northern Kazakhstan, a senior government official said on Thursday.

Speaking with reporters in the country’s parliament, First Vice Emergency Situations Minister Ibragim Kulshimbayev said the firefighters have stopped the spread of the wildfire in the Abay region.

On June 8, a fire started in the Abay region of Kazakhstan, which spread to 60,000 hectares (148,263 acres) and led to the death of 15 people.

More than 1,500 people from all over Kazakhstan are currently engaged in extinguishing the fire.