A massive wildfire has scorched more than ten hectares of the Hyrcanian forests in northern Iran, with international assistance arriving on November 22 to help contain the blaze, IRNA reported.

Shina Ansari, head of Iran’s Department of Environment, said field inspections showed the fires continued in scattered patches and intensified with strong winds. “Domestic agencies and international teams have been mobilised to tackle this crisis,” she told reporters.

Two Ilyushin water‑bombing aircraft operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were dispatched to the Elit region of Mazandaran Province, completing one sortie early in the morning and preparing for a second. Six helicopters were also deployed to fight the spot fires, she said.

Ansari added that around 400 personnel, including local volunteers, park rangers, forestry staff, crisis management units and Red Crescent teams, were stationed in the area. “With the cooperation of the Foreign Ministry, two firefighting planes from Turkey, accompanied by a helicopter and eight specialists, are joining operations today. Russia has also declared readiness to provide support if required,” she said.

Each aircraft can conduct two water drops daily, carrying up to 40 tonnes of water per mission. Turkish planes, being smaller, are able to fly at lower altitudes, according to Ansari, while additional specialist crews from the Zagros forests in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad Province have been dispatched to reinforce efforts.

The Elit woodlands near Marzanabad have suffered two major outbreaks this month. The first began on  November 1 and was contained after several days; the second reignited on November 15 and continues to burn.

Natural resources experts believe human activity is the likely cause, citing careless hunters or abandoned campfires left by tourists. Mazandaran’s governor, Mehdi Younesi Rostami, said the origin of the blaze was “most likely human.”

High temperatures, rugged terrain and accumulated dry leaves and timber have fuelled repeated flare‑ups in the Chalous forests. More than ten hectares have been damaged, with young saplings, shrubs and fertile soil layers worst affected. Specialists caution that full recovery may take years. Even after containment, the threat persists, as hidden embers can smoulder beneath the soil for weeks and reignite with the slightest gust of wind, requiring constant vigilance from emergency teams.

The crisis has underscored the pressing need for advanced firefighting technology, local community training and early warning systems in Iran. The Hyrcanian forests, stretching along the southern Caspian Sea and believed to be between 25 and 50 million years old,  were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 2019 for their exceptional biodiversity and geological significance.

Kaveh Madani, an environmental expert, lamented on his X account, saying: “We are losing a natural heritage that predates ancient Iranian civilisation.”