TEHRAN: Iranian authorities have imposed a temporary ban on public access to most forested areas, a local media outlet reported, as the country struggled to extinguish a fire in a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site.
The fire in northern Iran’s Hyrcanian forests, which started on Nov. 1, was brought under control in a few days.
However, it reignited on Nov. 15, fueled by strong winds and an unusually severe drought, according to Iranian media.
“We have notified the provinces to ban entry into forest areas outside protected zones and parks before the autumn rains occur in order to prevent similar incidents from occurring,” Majid Zakariaei, commander of the unit responsible for forest protection, told the Mehr news agency.
Iran has requested foreign assistance to combat the fire ravaging the Hyrcanian forests which stretch 1,000 km along the shores of the Caspian Sea and the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains into Azerbaijan.
The ancient forests are home to the endangered Persian leopard as well as brown bears and other large predators and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.
The fire comes with the country facing one of its most severe droughts since records began six decades ago.
The blaze was largely contained by Tuesday, but operations are continuing to fully extinguish it, Iranian media reported.
