UPDATED: Azerbaijan sends helicopter to help Georgia extinguish wildfire

UPDATED: 17:11

Azerbaijan has sent a helicopter to help Georgian firefighters handle a massive wildfire that broke out yesterday afternoon near the village of Daba in the Borjomi Municipality in central Georgia.

This was reported by Azerbaijani news agency APA this evening. 

"Under the order of President Ilham Aliyev, the Ministry of Emergency Situations has sent a helicopter today to help extinguish forest fires in the Borjomi-Khiraguli Reserve in Georgia", APA reported.

Georgian Interior Minister Giorgi Mgebrishvili has been on the ground since morning. He posted on Facebook earlier this afternoon that "the fire has been localised and now work is underway to liquidate it". 

Interior Minister Giorgi Mgebrishvili has been in Borjomi since morning. Photo: MIA's press office.

EARLIER: 11:59

Firefighters are still trying to handle a massive wildfire that broke out yesterday afternoon near the village of Daba in the Borjomi Municipality in central Georgia.

The fire is blazing on the same area that was burnt during the Russia-Georgia war in August of 2008.

Head of the National Forest Agency Tornike Gvazava said that about 2 - 2.5 hectares of forestland has been burnt. He stressed that the affected area mainly includes the territory that was burnt in 2008 and is now covered by bushes while fresh forest has not been touched by the fire so far.

The fire started in a difficult relief section of the forest, which meant it was hard for firefighters to approach the location. Photo: Borjomi TV

The fire started in a difficult relief section of the forest, which meant it was hard for firefighters to approach the location.

Currently, 200 firefighters are participating in the fire extinguishing efforts. Last night, a road was paved from the village of Kvibisi deep into the forest so firefighting units can now easily reach the area.

Since 7 am this morning, a helicopter has also been part of the operation, trying to extinguish the fire from the air.

Workers from the National Forest Agency dig trenches to prevent fire from spreading. Photo: Natia Iordanishvili/Facebook

Later this morning, Interior Minister Giorgi Mgebrishvili arrived in Borjomi to inspect the process in first hand.

Gvazava hoped that the fire would be fully handled by this afternoon.