According to the National Forestry Agency, rising temperatures increase the risk of forest fires, so the public is urged to be careful.

“The increase in temperature increases the risk of forest fires. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture calls on the population to exercise special caution when moving through the forest and to comply with the established prohibitions.

It is prohibited to light a bonfire in the forest area under the canopy of trees, in young coniferous forests, in old fire areas, in damaged forest areas, in forest clearings not cleared of processing residues, in areas of processed timber left unharvested, in peat and dry grass areas.

In the rest of the forest area, lighting a bonfire is permitted in cases of preliminary arrangement of a place for lighting a fire (platform). Preliminary arrangement of a platform implies laying easily flammable materials (hay, dry grass, leaves, twigs) within a radius of 1.5 m from the fire source cleaning.

According to the Code of Administrative Offenses of Georgia, violation of fire safety requirements in forests, which results in the occurrence of a forest fire or its spread over a certain area, as well as the destruction or damage of a forest as a result of setting fire or negligent handling of the fire, shall result in a fine of 300 to 500 GEL. In the case of a forest fire caused by negligence, the law provides for imprisonment for a term of four to eight years,” reads the information.