The Ministry of Emergency Situations reports that the fire in the territory of the Bayanaul district of the Pavlodar region has been contained. Currently, work is underway to "eliminate local hotspots of grass fires".
As a reminder, on 6 October, near the village of Koyandy in the Karkaraly district of the Karaganda region, dry grass caught fire, leading to a large steppe fire.
The fire spread quickly and soon crossed into the territory of the "Bayanaul State National Nature Park" in the Pavlodar region.
Initially, it was reported that the fire area was over 3,000 hectares. However, the governor of the Pavlodar region, Asain Baikhanov, soon stated that the fire area had increased to 6,000 hectares. According to the latest data, in the Pavlodar region the fire has covered an area of 10,000 hectares.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 239 people, 42 units of equipment, two aircraft, and three unmanned aerial vehicles were deployed to fight the fire.
Rescuers carried out 29 water drops totalling 64 tonnes, which was taken from Lake Shalkarkol and a well in the village of Zheltau.
Meanwhile, in the Karaganda region, the fire is ongoing. According to some reports, the total area of the blaze may exceed 21,000 hectares.