TEHRAN -- Some 300 hectares of forests in the western Iranian town of Marivan are still engulfed by wildfires as helicopters keep flying over the area to douse the flames.
A top environment official says the fire definitely had a human cause, saying an investigation is underway to find out whether it was ‘deliberate or unintentional.
“Fires in four out of five spots engulfed by flames have been extinguished, and two more choppers have been sent to the Darevaran area, which is still burning,” said Reza Akbari, the commander of the State Watershed and Natural Resources Protection Unit.
He said blazes in Darevaran had been put out, but were reignited due to high winds and heat.
“We hope to be able to extinguish the fire by the end of today (Saturday, Aug. 5).”
The wildfires in Marivan, in the western Iranian province of Kurdistan, two weeks ago, had left several people injured.
Meanwhile, an Iranian member of parliament warned that the situation of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in Tehran has become critical and has hit the grave milestone of 12.
MP Somayyeh Rafiee urged citizens to seriously avoid exposure to direct sunlight from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm in the capital.
The head of the environmental faction of the Iranian parliament added that the citizens also need to use protective equipment such as sunscreen, appropriate clothing and glasses particularly at swimming pools.
Rafiee said from the beginning of the summer to Thursday, Tehran witnessed an average of 0.9 degrees increase in temperature compared to the past 30 years in Tehran province.
She noted that all figures show the issue of climate change and global warming has affected Iran and the whole region faster than imagined, adding that unless effective action is taken as soon as possible, everyone will suffer.