Firefighters battle large forest fire in Gori

Emergency services are continuing to battle a large fire in eastern Georgia.

The ferocious blaze has destroyed about 25 hectares of forest land in Ateni Gorge, in Gori district, since it began a few days ago.

Firefighters have battled the uncontrollable blaze for the past few days with recent efforts proving to be more successful.

Governor of Gori Davit Oniashvili said most of the fire’s hot spots had been extinguished by local firefighters.

Georgia’s Rescue Service and a military unit from the Ministry of Defence were also involved in efforts to snuff out the fire.

Ateni Gorge is located 95km from capital city Tbilisi and is known for its very green environment. The area is one of the most prominent historical regions of Georgia, where it is possible visitors may find footprints and markers of the early culture of the country.

One of the most attractive sites in Ateni Gorge is a 60m waterfall which freezes in winter and turns into a huge ice wall. Here, an annual competition is held for ice hikers to scale the frozen waterfall.