A total of 97 forest and steppe fires have been recorded across Mongolia since the beginning of this year, which have destroyed 213,433 hectares of forest and grassland, the country’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Thursday (18 June).

The number of recorded fires so far this year is an increase of 17.2 percent compared to the same period of 2019, NEMA said.

Dry weather conditions, cigarette butts and open fires have been the main causes of the fires, the emergency agency said, urging people to be more careful.

Firefighters are now working to extinguish three wildfires in the northern Mongolian province of Bulgan, according to NEMA.