Fire

ULAANBAATAR, October 12, 2026. — A steppe fire that broke out on October 8 in the Nomrog Strictly Protected Area in Dornod aimag has been brought under control as of 12:55 a.m. on October 12, four days after it started. The fire has not been fully extinguished, and firefighting efforts are continuing. Relevant authorities are also working to determine the cause of the fire and the extent of the environmental damage.

The first call was registered by the National Emergency Management Agency at 11:55 a.m. on October 8. The fire started in an area known as Bichigtiin-Undur in Tsogtsumber bagh, Khalkhgol soum, Dornod aimag. The remote area is located approximately 485 kilometres from the aimag centre and 125 kilometres from the soum centre.

Fire contained through joint efforts by multiple agencies

Emergency personnel from Dornod, Umnugovi, Dornogovi and other aimags, border troops, staff from the Nomrog Strictly Protected Area and local residents took part in operations at the fire site. As of October 12, 109 people and 18 vehicles from Mongolia were involved, while 58 people and 14 vehicles and other pieces of equipment from China were participating in firefighting operations along the border.

Strong winds, dry conditions and the terrain made it difficult to contain the fire in the days after it began. According to a report by the Mongolian National Broadcaster on October 11, authorities planned to conduct cloud-seeding operations to create weather conditions favourable to containing the fire.

Investigation into the cause of the fire begins

Mobicom Group said that one of its representative vehicles caught fire while operating in the area, after which the steppe fire began.

According to the company, its representatives had completed work to connect Khalkhgol border posts to a 4G network and install a fibre-optic connection at the Sumber border crossing. They were then assessing the communications network’s potential and surveying the terrain when the vehicle caught fire, leading to the outbreak of the steppe fire, the company said in a statement.

However, the exact circumstances in which the fire started, whether anyone’s negligent actions were involved and whether any laws were violated must be established through an official investigation. Media reports said the Dornod aimag police department had begun investigating the case. Until the investigation is complete, it is not possible to reach a final legal conclusion that any particular person or organisation was at fault.

Environmental damage to protected area to be assessed

The Nomrog Strictly Protected Area is a protected zone important for preserving the natural landscape and wildlife habitats of eastern Mongolia. A fire in such an area poses risks to vegetation, animal habitats and the wider ecosystem.

An October 12 report by iToim cited Dornod Aimag Governor Kh. Yol as saying that around 80 percent of the protected area had been affected by the fire. However, this is preliminary information and does not constitute a final assessment establishing the precise size of the burned area, the ecological damage or the impact on wildlife. Aimag authorities have reportedly established a working group to determine the extent of the damage and plan to complete the assessment within 30 days.

Fully extinguishing the fire, assessing the burned area, determining the environmental damage and investigating the cause of the outbreak are now parallel priorities. The scale of the damage to the Nomrog Strictly Protected Area and the question of accountability will become clearer once the final assessments and conclusions have been issued.