Abastumani fire may have been arson case

A recent fire in Abastumani, a small town and climatic spa in Georgia’s Samtskhe-Javakheti region, may have been a case of arson, announces the Emergency Management Service of Georgia.

The agency says that the fire has already been extinguished and the lower cover of the coniferous forest has burnt. 

In the last few days, there has been a second fire near the town of Abastumani. Experts do not rule out the possibility of arson, as the previous two fires in the last three days were preceded by heavy rains last night", reads the statement of the Emergency Management Service of Georgia.

Fire experts of the Expert Criminalistics Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have started inspecting the area to find out the cause of the fire.

Ten groups of firefighters and rescuers remain on the spot.

The fire broke out in a forest near Abastumani two days ago, on June 13.