On April 19, a fire broke out in the reeds in the Balkhash district of the Almaty region, spreading to forest land covering an area of 31 hectares. The press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan announced that by April 24, the fire had been localized.
Following the incident, law enforcement agencies initiated a criminal case under Article 341 of the Criminal Code on "Destruction or Damage of Forests." The punishment for this offense includes imprisonment for up to eight years with confiscation of property.
"It is important to note that in order to extinguish the fire, helicopter crews made 129 water drops totaling more than 387 tons. The Ministry of Emergency Situations recommends strict adherence to fire safety rules!" stated the authorities.
Earlier reports indicated that on April 20, 2024, at 12:30, in remote swampy areas, satellite monitoring detected a fire in dry vegetation and reeds. At that time, the fire had covered an area of 18 hectares.
