Forest fire extinguished in Gelendzhik

KRASNODAR. Aug 31 (Interfax) - Rescuers have put out a forest fire of almost 100 hectares in Gelendzhik, Russia's Krasnodar Territory, the territorial firefighting center said on Thursday.

"A forest fire was put out on an approximate area of 100 hectares at 11 a.m. Moscow time on August 31, 2023," the center said.

Three Mil Mi-8 helicopters and two Beriev Be-200 amphibious planes of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry dumped over 1.5 million liters of water and extinguished the flames, it said.

Governor of the Krasnodar Territory Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed the complete extinguishment of the fire on Markotkha Hill in Gelendzhik.

"I am grateful to our firemen, rescuers and volunteers who took part in the firefighting operation. The damage to the forest has yet to be assessed but it is already obvious that it would take long to restore the forest," Kondratyev said on Telegram.