Ulaanbaatar, March 11, 2025 /MONTSAME/. Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia and Head of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Amarsaikhan Saibuyan ordered to establish an Emergency Task Force to support families affected by the wildfires in the eastern aimags.

The Emergency Task Force will provide medical care to citizens and children affected by the fires, organize the reconstruction of homes, provide psychological counseling, rehabilitate livestock, remove livestock carcasses, sterilize, and disinfect the environment, and support the livelihoods of households affected by the fire. In addition, 25 families affected by the fires will be provided with gers, food, health kits, and warm clothing.

NEMA Colonel T. Bayarkhuu will head the Emergency Task Force and relevant officials from the Ministry of Health, the National Center of Zoonotic Diseases, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Light Industry, the Ministry of Defense, the National Police Agency, the General Department for Border Protection, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and local authorities will work on site.

As of March 10, fifteen forest and steppe fires have been registered in the forests and steppe regions of Mongolia. Specifically, 12 soums in five aimags, including Khairkhan of Arkhangai aimag, Kherlen, Bayan-Uul, Bulgan, Tsagaan-Ovoo, Dashbalbar, and Choibalsan of Dornod aimag, Asgat and Erdenetsagaan of Sukhbaatar aimag, Bayan-Ovoo, Batshireet, Dadal of Khentii aimag, and Undurshil of Dundgobi aimag have had fires. As of today, the steppe fires in Asgat and Erdenetsagaan of Sukhbaatar and Bayan-Ovoo of Khentii aimag are being contained while the others have been extinguished.

Head of the Fire Fighting Department of the National Emergency Management Agency, Colonel Ts. Nyambayar reported, “As a consequence of the fire that broke out yesterday, a total of about 170 thousand hectares of area, 38 gers, four containers, four cars, two motorcycles, 48 yards, over 3700 head of livestock, and 3500 bales of hay were burned, and the full extent of the damage has not been confirmed. Also, yesterday, fire calls were received in Undurshil soum, Dundgobi aimag, and Yumdelger soum, Khentii aimag, and the fires were extinguished. Two working groups have been sent to the eastern aimags.  Fires that break out in the spring and autumn in Mongolia tend to spread over large areas rapidly due to the high wind speeds and dryness. It is very risky to extinguish this type of fire."

Precipitation is expected in the eastern aimags. To increase the amount of precipitation, the Meteorological and Environmental Research Department took cloud-seeding measures in Asgat, Sukhbaatar, and Baruun-Urt soums of Sukhbaatar aimag. As a result, up to 0.3 mm of snow fell in the area. Cloud-seeding will continue in Erdenetsagaan and Sukhbaatar soums.