A forest is burning in the Borjomi Valley near Akhaldaba. Locals noticed the smoke yesterday. According to them, the fire has spread over a large area, approximately 10 kilometers from the settlement.
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Since yesterday evening, locals, along with firefighters and rescuers from the Emergency Management Service, have been trying to put out the fire. Today, around 10:00 am, four Border Police helicopters joined the efforts.
According to the Emergency Situations Management Service, the difficult terrain makes it impossible to bring fire-rescue equipment to the center of the fire.
"Firefighters and rescuers worked throughout the night to contain the blaze. In total, 150 firefighters from Tbilisi, Samtskhe-Javakheti, and Shida Kartli fire-rescue departments, as well as rangers from Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park under the Protected Areas Agency of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture, are involved in extinguishing the fire. If necessary, rangers from other territorial administrations will join the efforts with appropriate firefighting equipment. A special field headquarters has been set up by the Emergency Management Service to coordinate forest fire suppression activities. Fire monitoring is being conducted using drones," the Emergency Management Service said in a statement.
The cause of the fire is unknown. According to Akhaldaba residents, they are no longer allowed into the forest to harvest timber.
