Wildfire kills 1, damages over 100 houses in northern Kazakhstan

By Mariamgul Kussainova

NUR SULTAN, Kazakhstan (AA) – The ongoing wildfire in northern Kazakhstan killed one person and damaged 108 houses, said Emergency Situations Ministry.

The forest fire in the northern Kostanay region also spread to the adjacent villages, reported the ministry.

Emergency Situations Minister Yuri Ilyin said the fire is continuing in eight separate locations spreading over 100,000 acres (40,468 hectares).

Prime Minister Alihan Smaiylov instructed the authorities concerned to assess the damage caused by the fire, adding the government will fund the construction of new houses in the affected area and support the farmers whose crops were damaged.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will inspect the affected region on Monday, his press office said.

On Saturday, the fire also caused explosions in a firearms store, killing four people in Kostanay, according to a statement by the general prosecutor’s office.