As of Friday 2pm, the surface area of the grass and forests that are burning in Armenia’s Vayots Dzor Province is approximately 250 hectares.

The Minister of Emergency Situations, Davit Tonoyan, is administering over the firefighting efforts. The Minister of Nature Protection, Artsvik Minasyan, is also at the scene.

For the first time, water from the nearby reservoir is used in order to put out this large fire.

In addition, a private company is assisting in fighting against this fire by providing heavy equipment as well as water pipelines, which are supplying water to fire trucks. If needed, the company’s rescue squad also stands ready to join the firefighting efforts.

The Crisis Management Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations had received an anonymous call, on Thursday at 6:50pm, that a grass-covered area was on fire nearby Artavan village in Vayots Dzor Province.