ULAN BATOR, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Days after open flames of a major grassland fire were put out, public criticism is mounting in Mongolia over the blaze at a protected nature reserve in the country, with national authorities vowing to hold relevant parties accountable and claim compensation for state losses.
Earlier this month, a group of executives from Mobicom, a Mongolian telecommunications company with Japanese investment, entered the Numrug Strictly Protected Area in Dornod Province for wild hunting before a vehicle in their convoy caught fire and sparked a wildfire, local media reported. The driver was identified as a Japanese national.
According to Eguur News, a Mongolian digital news outlet, the group was intended to catch Hucho taimen, a critically endangered species listed in the Mongolian red list of fishes.
The fire broke out in the core zone of the country's Numrug Strictly Protected Area, with the first alarm raised at 11:55 a.m. local time (0355 GMT) on Oct. 8. Though open flames were extinguished on Friday, dry weather and strong winds still raise risks of reignition.
Mobicom said its team was conducting telecommunications work in the area when one of its vehicles caught fire, sparking the grassland blaze.
The incident has drawn wide public anger in Mongolia, as questions swirl over whether the convoy obtained proper access permits to enter the ecologically sensitive reserve during the high-risk fire-prone period.
Temuulen Ganzorig, the country's minister of justice and internal affairs, said the related personnel, as well as people from relevant border-port administrations involved, will be held responsible and ordered to compensate for losses.
The case has now been handed over to the police authorities for investigation, and conclusions are yet to be released.
Mongolia's criminal law prohibits unauthorized hunting or capturing animals in specially protected areas. Causing a forest or steppe fire can result in criminal penalties, depending on whether the fire was started intentionally or through negligence and the extent of the damage.
Whether any of these provisions apply to the individuals involved will depend on the findings of the investigation.
The Numrug Strictly Protected Area hosts rare wildlife including reindeer, bears and wild boars. An evaluation of wildlife casualties caused by the fire is pending.
Since Oct. 8, Mongolia has mobilized forces from three provinces. A total of 606 personnel operating 100 sets of equipment formed 60 firefighting groups to contain the blaze.
As the fire spread toward the China-Mongolia border, Chinese authorities deployed more than 3,400 firefighters and other emergency crew along the border.■
