The fire that engulfed the wood located on the outskirts of Cahul was put out after almost eight hours. Over 10 hectares of vegetation around the city and trees were affected, IPN reports.

Fifty firefighters, with 15 special vehicles, employees of municipal enterprises and over 50 volunteers struggled to contain the blaze, said the mayor of the municipality Nicolae Dandiș.

According to the General Inspector for Emergency Situations, the fire that broke out in a wood on the outskirts of Cahul municipality was localized at 18:17. The Inspectorate’s employees together with employees of the local public administration fought to extinguish the fire.

Minister of Environment Sergiu Lazarenco noted that since morning, a team of the Ministry and Moldsilva Agency went to the site to assess the situation on the spot. The minister called on the citizens to be extremely vigilant and responsible when starting fires or when working with flammable materials. “The heat wave increases the risk of fires and their rapid spread. Avoid activities that can generate open fire in nature and strictly follow fire prevention rules. Each careless act can cause a tragedy not only for the environment, but also for the locals,” the minister wrote on Facebook.

The State Weather Service has extended the yellow advisory for danger of fire until July 22.