The Borjomi and Mestia Fires

The main sources of fire in Borjomi valley have been eliminated, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.

The Ministry noted the majority of the fire had been extinguished over the weekend, and work was being carried out on the active centers.

“Fire localization and extinguishing works in Borjomi Municipality were active throughout the night. At the moment, most of the fire has been extinguished and work is being carried out on the still-active centers,” the ministry’s Monday statement noted. “Employees of various departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, as well as the relevant services of the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture continue to participate in the process of extinguishing the fire. In addition, border police helicopters and a specialized firefighting plane of the Republic of Turkey resumed their work this morning.”

On Thursday morning, it was noted, “the few remaining smaller, but active and smoky fire sources are being processed. Roads have been laid with the help of heavy machinery. Route construction to the remaining fire sources is still in progress. Aviation has been actively participating in the localization and liquidation works since morning. Fire localization and liquidation works in Borjomi municipality by the units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were active throughout the night.”

A fire broke out in the municipality of Mestia, Georgia’s Svaneti region, on Tuesday.

On Thursday it was announced that fire extinguishing works continue on the slope of Lekhziri mountain of Mestia municipality. Representatives of the Emergency Management Service are involved in the process. The burning area is inaccessible to equipment and firefighters need to move in on foot. A helicopter is also involved in the process, and a second is to be brought in.

The deputy state representative in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region says the fire broke out in the alpine zone and has already been localized, although smoke still remains.

The center of the fire appeared far from settlements, posing no danger to residents.
As yet, the cause of both fires is unknown.