Wildfires ravage 685,500 hectares of land in Mongolia

A total of 90 forest and steppe fires have been reported across Mongolia since the beginning of this year, devastating 685,521 hectares of forest and grassland, the country's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said Wednesday.

The figure for fires marks an increase of 19.3 percent from the same period last year, the NEMA said in a statement.

Currently, there is a high risk of wildfire due to severe dryness in Uvs and Zavkhan provinces in the west, Khuvsgul, Selenge and Bulgan in the north, and Arkhangai in the central region, the agency said.

The agency urged the public to be vigilant during countryside trips and to prevent the danger of fire during the ongoing peak season of summer travel and vacation.