A large-scale fire that has been ongoing for several days in Iran's northern Hyrcanian forests has gotten out of control. Due to the fire intensifying further in the mountainous Elit region of Mazandaran province, official Tehran has appealed to the international community for urgent assistance.
Modern.az reports that, according to the "Anadolu" agency, firefighters, employees of the environmental agency, “Basij” volunteers, and mountain rescuers have been involved in extinguishing the fire. However, the difficult terrain, strong winds, and dense grass cover are causing the flames to spread rapidly. The limited use of helicopters in the mountainous region also complicates efforts.
Iran's Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah stated that the country is unable to bring the fire under control and has therefore requested swift assistance from friendly neighboring countries:
“The mountainous terrain of the Elit region does not allow us to extinguish the fire with our own capabilities. We need urgent support from other countries”..
According to him, the request for assistance has been sent both for localizing the existing fire and for preventing its spread to surrounding forest areas.
