Since the start of 2026, 219 fires have been registered in the Turkestan Region. As a result of the incidents, 4 people died and another 6 were injured. Material damage from the fires exceeded 580 million tenge.
WHAT IS THE FIRE SITUATION
According to Kazinform news agency, the majority of fires occurred in the residential sector, where 111 incidents were registered. As reported by the head of the state fire control department of the Emergency Situations Department (ESD) of the Turkestan Region, Meiramkhan Kemelkhanov, the main cause of the fires was failure to comply with the rules for installing and operating electrical equipment.
According to him, 185 fires occurred precisely because of such violations. The amount of material damage exceeded 580 million tenge, which is 30.6% more compared to the same period in 2025.
WHAT VIOLATIONS DID INSPECTORS FIND
To prevent emergencies, ESD staff registered 51,708 facilities. Since the start of the year, specialists have inspected more than 1,500 facilities.
At 135 of the 1,521 inspected facilities, failure to comply with previously issued orders was identified. Protocols were drawn up regarding these facts under Article 462 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Failure to comply with resolutions, orders and other lawful requirements") and sent to court.
As a result of the review, 113 facilities were fined a total of 49 million 638 thousand tenge, while another 22 cases are pending before the court.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE BROUGHT TO ACCOUNT
According to the ESD, since the start of 2026, 915 people have been brought to administrative responsibility. Of these, 597 received warnings, and 318 were fined a total of 23 million 563 thousand tenge.
Separately, the ESD reported fires at solid household waste landfills. Since the start of the year, 30 fires have been registered there.
For violations of fire safety requirements, those responsible were fined a total of 8 million 878 thousand tenge.
CONTEXT
The problem of wildfires remains relevant not only for Kazakhstan. According to the Financial Times, forest fires and extreme heat in France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Romania have already caused economic damage of at least €3.1 billion. This amount exceeds the average annual damage from forest fires for the entire European Union, which the European Commission estimates at €2.5 billion.
In Kazakhstan, the fire hazard season runs from May 2026. According to calculations by the FBRK editorial team based on daily official reports from the Ministry of Ecology, at least 260 forest fires were registered in the country from 15 June to 3 August. The largest fire of the current season occurred on the territory of the "Semey Ormany" state forest nature reserve, where the fire was fully extinguished on 28 July.
Earlier, the FBRK editorial team identified a discrepancy in the assessment of the fire area. It turned out to be significantly larger than the preliminary estimate. According to data from the NASA FIRMS fire monitoring system, the fire covered approximately 1,676 hectares, whereas previously 370 hectares had been reported.
