UKRAINE-KHERSON-REGION-FIRE-AZAROV
Kyiv, August 10 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Two fires in Kherson region have been contained, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said after a meeting of the operational staff for dealing with a forest fire in Kherson region.
According to the media liaisons department of the secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers, the prime minister heard a report by the leadership of the Emergencies Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the Defense Ministry on measures to tackle the blaze.
“The services that participated in a meeting of the operational staff reported on the work that has already been conducted. These two fires have been contained. A sufficient number of people and equipment has been delivered to the area of the fire in order to cut the fire off from towns and villages,” Azarov said.
He said that the area of one of the fires was over 800 hectares and that of the other than 400 hectares. He said that all actions by the operational staff were currently aimed at preventing the spread of the blaze.
Azarov added that helicopters and aircraft would be used to extinguish the fire.
He demanded that the fire be completely extinguished on Friday.
“We must completely extinguish the fire. The active extinguishing of the fire by planes and helicopters will start in the morning. A train and all of the necessary equipment are simultaneously working there, and we are confident that the fire will be extinguished tomorrow [on Friday],” he said.
At the same time, Azarov said that National Security and Defense Council Secretary Andriy Kliuyev had been vested with the direct management of actions on fire suppression.
The prime minister said that the prosecutor’s office of Kherson region had opened a criminal case on forest arson.
“The prosecutor’s office and interior bodies are conducting an internal investigation. By the first signs these fires are related to arson. It’s very frustrating, and we will find the scoundrels that caused enormous damage to the state,” Azarov said.
[UA EUROPE EEU EMRG POL]
PA
13:08:06 EET-2
