ArmInfo. In the residence of Armenian President a meeting took place related to the fire in Khosrov Reserve.
According to Armenian President's press service, at a meeting convened by President Serzh Sargsyan, the following issues were considered: the course of extinguishing a fire that broke out on the territory of the reserve, proper control over the fire situation in the republics due to the high temperature established on the territory of the country, the implementation of preventive measures to exclude the appearance of new foci, Study of damage to nature and human settlements, the possibility of restoring the damage. Also, new measures needed in connection with the current situation were discussed.
The meeting was attended by the head of presidential staff, the prosecutor general, ministers of nature protection, emergencies, agriculture, and a number of other high-ranking officials concerned.
The President was informed that all the necessary measures had been taken, and at the moment the existing possibilities are sufficient to solve the problems that have arisen in the reserve during the fire extinguishing, and that every day there is an intensified daily monitoring in all dangerous zones.
Sargsyan expressed gratitude to all those people and structures that fought with fire these days. The Armenian President also expressed his gratitude to the Russian side for prompt reaction to the request of the Armenian side to assist in extinguishing the fire.
Following the results of the meeting, the Armenian president instructed to keep under close supervision the situation and periodically report on the process of extinguishing the fire.
The IL-76 special dispatch of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, who arrived in Armenia yesterday to participate in the operation to extinguish a fire in the Khosrov Reserve, carried out three departures from the Yerevan airport of Erebuni to the place of the fire. The first flight IL-76 performed today at 08.50. According to some reports, about 700 hectares of juniper woodlands in the Vayotsor district are now burning near the territory of the Artavan village and over 1000 hectares of forest in the Khosrov Reserve. The fires began on August 10 and, due to the hot weather and winds, began to spread rapidly over difficult terrain. Attempts to cope with the fire by the Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations, due to very limited technical capabilities, have not yet been crowned with success. In connection with this, a request was sent to the Russian colleagues.
According to the latest information, the fire in the Vayotsor district is localized.
For one call of IL-76, EMERCOM of Russia can drop more than 42 tons of water into fires, and also create a barrier strip 800 meters long and 60 meters wide, with an area of about 50,000 square meters. The IL-76 is considered one of the largest fire fighting aircraft in the world. The crew of the Il-76 EMERCOM of Russia is prepared for work in difficult conditions and has extensive experience in extinguishing wildfires, has repeatedly participated in the liquidation of emergency situations on the territory of the Russian Federation and abroad