Parastoo Sepehri ‎

We have discussed ongoing fire at the National Golestan Park, which has destroyed a significant ‎part of the park, with Golestan Province's fire chief, Ali Mashkoor. The Golestan National Park, ‎which is located at the farthest east points of the Hyrcanian flora, is among the oldest national ‎parks and the first park in Iran to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The park ‎comprises six percent of the country's entire area and is the habitat for 19 percent of species, 45 ‎percent of genomes and 65 percent of families of plants in Iran. Below you can read the text of ‎this interview.‎

Rooz (R): Mr. Mashkoor, given the contradictory reports we have received about controlling fire ‎in the Golestan National Park, please share with us the latest reports. ‎

Ali Mashkoor (AM): Fortunately, fire has been contained in the voluminous areas of the park ‎and firefighters and emergency crew are stationed in various parts of the park to extinguish and ‎prevent further fire. ‎

R: In your opinion, is it natural for an event like this to afflict one of our national treasures?‎

AM: Look, no one likes to see an event such as this take place. National treasures are borrowed ‎material in our possession and we have to do our best to preserve them for our generation as well ‎as future ones. ‎

R: What were the reasons behind the fire at the park? ‎

AM: Experts have not yet had a chance to examine the scene to uncover the reason or reasons ‎behind the fire, but some are speculating that the carelessness of citizens followed by high winds ‎and the region's weather conditions are responsible for the fire. ‎

R: In light of the region's environmental characteristics, what resources do you have to combat ‎the fire?‎

AM: We are constantly preparing our forces and officers for such assignments. Regarding the ‎fire, we have firefighting vehicles that are mostly manufactured in Germany and are very well ‎equipped. Officers also have very tall ladders as well as inflammable liquids and materials. ‎

R: We read in the news that the province's emergency crew and firefighters had no access to ‎aerial equipment, such as helicopters. ‎

AM: Unfortunately, the lack of firefighting helicopters is a problem that Iran's entire firefighting ‎sector is dealing with. Not just Golestan, but almost none of the other provinces, including ‎Tehran, have safe, appropriate helicopters. ‎

R: In conclusion, how much of Golestan National Park's area has been burnt by fire?‎

AM: That is not known for sure. ‎