Semey Ormany forest fire, Kazakhstan
- The Ministry of Ecology valued the loss or reduction of my useful properties (CO2 absorption, oxygen release, pastures, grass cover) at about KZT 130 billion. Tengrinews
- A forest pathologist estimates that a burned plot needs at least 20 years to become forest again; in some areas replanting must wait 3–4 years because the fire destroyed soil minerals. Tengrinews
- A fire in 1997 burned 80,000 hectares of my pine belt; about 40,000 hectares have been restored since, according to Tengrinews. Tengrinews
- In a Halyk fund trial, seedlings from local stock survived at 97% and non-local stock at 25%. Times of Central Asia
- 14 people died.Employees of the Novoshulbinsk branch; Orda.kz gives 15.
- Government and regulators Semey Ormany reserve: Total material damage of KZT 161,555,125,335 over a final fire area of 63,333 ha. Tengrinews
- Government and regulators Ministry of Ecology: More than KZT 165 bn, of which about KZT 130 bn is a valuation of lost ecosystem functions (CO2 absorption, oxygen release, pastures, grass cover) rather than cash spent. Tengrinews
- Government and regulators Prosecutor General's Office: More than 60 thousand hectares of the forest fund. Sputnik Kazakhstan
- Government and regulators Semey Ormany reserve: 63,333 ha. Tengrinews
- Government and regulators Prime Minister's office: About 66,000 hectares, described as about one-tenth of the reserve. Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
A fire burned part of the Semey Ormany pine reserve in Abai region, Kazakhstan, from 8 June to 13 July 2023; 14 employees of the reserve died. Courts convicted four people in 2024, and the Ministry of Ecology valued the damage at more than KZT 165 billion.
About KZT 30 bn of direct damage and about KZT 130 bn for loss or reduction of the forest's useful properties (Ministry briefing, 16 October 2023). The reserve's own valuation is KZT 161,555,125,335.
Status As of September 2026: all criminal cases on the fire concluded (Prosecutor General's Office, January 2025); restoration planting under way; the 2024 timber-theft and 2025 seedling-theft cases at suspicion stage, no outcome on record.
- State budget — More than KZT 7,000 of the KZT 10,300 per cubic metre that firms pay for burned wood at electronic auctions goes to the state as the standing-timber fee Tengrinews
- Firms buying burned timber — Burned wood sold at KZT 10,300 per cubic metre at electronic auctions Tengrinews
- Forestry service — KZT 15.9 bn (2023) and KZT 52 bn (2024) for firefighting machinery and equipment; 12,876 forest guard employees received a 100% salary rise in 2023 Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
- Families of the 14 employees who died — Received payments from a fund, Halyk Bank, the employer and the state; the dead were the reserve's employees Kapital.kz
- Acting director general of the reserve and the Novoshulbinsk branch director — Seven years' imprisonment each (13 May 2024) BES.media
- Head of the IT and communications department; acting director general of the forest aviation base — Two years' imprisonment each, with bans from public-service posts Tengrinews
- Semey Ormany pine forest — 63,333 ha burned according to the reserve; about 66,000 ha according to the government Tengrinews
- 14 employees of the Novoshulbinsk branch — Died while fighting the fire Tengrinews
What happened
A fire started on 8 June 2023 in the Batpaevskoe forestry of the Novoshulbinsk branch of the state forest natural reserve “Semey Ormany” in Abai region (formerly East Kazakhstan) and spread into the Kamyshenka and Uspenka forestries. It was localised in the Kamyshenka forest district on 10 June, and the President declared a national day of mourning on 12 June. The fire was declared fully extinguished on 13 July 2023; more than 1,500 people took part. Fourteen employees of the Novoshulbinsk branch died while fighting the fire. The government's list of supported families also covers a tractor driver who took part in the firefighting.
On 10 November 2023 the Prosecutor General's Office gave the cause as “ignition of the ground cover when a lightning discharge hit the trunk of a coniferous tree” during a dry thunderstorm (translated from Russian), and said expert opinions, photos, videos and witness statements support this version. The area burned is given as more than 60,000 ha (Prosecutor General's Office, January 2025), 63,333 ha (the reserve) and about 66,000 ha, described as about one-tenth of the reserve (government, July 2024).
The reserve valued the material damage at KZT 161,555,125,335 over a final fire area of 63,333 ha. On 16 October 2023 the Ministry of Ecology announced a valuation of more than KZT 165 bn made with the Ministry of Emergency Situations; Minister Yerlan Nysanbayev divided it into about KZT 30 bn of direct damage (burned timber, destroyed equipment) and about KZT 130 bn for loss or reduction of the forest's useful properties (CO2 absorption, oxygen release, pastures, grass cover). Families of the dead received KZT 7 mln each plus KZT 2 mln per minor child from the fund “Qazaqstan Halqyna” (KZT 127 mln in total as of 15 June 2023), loan write-offs totalling KZT 36.2 mln, KZT 3 mln per family from Halyk Bank, and furnished apartments in Semey. National and local budgets funded KZT 15.9 bn of forestry machinery and equipment in 2023 and KZT 52 bn in 2024.
On 13 May 2024 the Borodulikha District Court sentenced the acting director general of the reserve and the director of the Novoshulbinsk branch to seven years' imprisonment each under Article 292 part 3 of the Criminal Code (violation of fire-safety requirements causing by negligence the death of two or more persons). It found that they had failed to organise firefighting, misjudged the situation and did not ensure safety, which led to 14 deaths. The Abai Region Court left the verdict unchanged on 26 August 2024. In October 2024 two further officials were convicted of negligence under Article 371 part 2: the head of the reserve's IT and communications department (two years' imprisonment and a three-year ban from public-service posts, upheld on appeal on 6 December 2024; the court set the damage from a lightning-detection system that did not function properly from 2020 to 2023 at KZT 26,023,070) and the acting director general of the state enterprise “Kazakh base for aviation protection of forests and forestry services” (two years' imprisonment and a two-year ban). On 22 January 2025 the Prosecutor General's Office said all criminal cases on the fire were concluded; disciplinary measures were applied to 10 officials of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and to employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
On 9 July 2024 the Interior Ministry detained a branch director of the reserve and associates on suspicion of timber theft, abuse of office, taking bribes, embezzlement and forgery; no outcome is on record. On 22 April 2025 the Interior Ministry reported detentions over the theft of 260,000 pine seedlings meant for restoration, worth more than KZT 500 mln; the group suspected of the theft was described as local residents and former reserve employees. Restoration is funded by the state, by the Halyk Charitable Fund (KZT 1 bn committed over five years across three sites) and by a nursery programme; by September 2026 more than one million seedlings had been planted on 400 ha in Semey Ormany under the Halyk programme.
- 2023Fire starts (8 Jun); localised in the Kamyshenka forest district (10 Jun); day of mourning (12 Jun); declared extinguished (13 Jul); Ministry of Ecology announces its damage valuation (16 Oct); Prosecutor General's Office names the cause and the case against the reserve's leaders goes to court (10 Nov)
- 2024Borodulikha District Court sentences two reserve leaders to seven years each (13 May); branch director detained on suspicion of timber theft (9 Jul); appeal rejected (26 Aug); two further officials convicted of negligence (Oct); IT department head's conviction upheld (6 Dec)
- 2025Prosecutor General's Office says all criminal cases on the fire are concluded (22 Jan); Interior Ministry reports detentions over the theft of 260,000 restoration seedlings (22 Apr)
- 2026Halyk programme reports more than one million seedlings planted on 400 ha since autumn 2025 (3 Sep)
What was said
“ignition of the ground cover when a lightning discharge hit the trunk of a coniferous tree”
“Last year there was a very serious fire - 66 thousand hectares we lost.”
“We must not allow the tragedy to repeat itself.”
“Unfortunately, it took a tragedy for the money to appear and for all of this to be bought”
“on a residual principle”
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Total material damage of KZT 161,555,125,335 over a final fire area of 63,333 ha.
TengrinewsMore than KZT 165 bn, of which about KZT 130 bn is a valuation of lost ecosystem functions (CO2 absorption, oxygen release, pastures, grass cover) rather than cash spent.
TengrinewsMore than 60 thousand hectares of the forest fund.
Sputnik KazakhstanAbout 66,000 hectares, described as about one-tenth of the reserve.
Prime Minister of KazakhstanReports that the body of one more employee was found later.
Sputnik KazakhstanHow it looked
Shown
- The cause was presented as lightning striking a conifer during a dry thunderstorm, with expert opinions, photos, videos and witness statements cited in support.Prosecutor General's Office · Tengrinews
- The KZT 52 bn spent on forestry firefighting equipment in 2024 was presented as being “for the first time in the history of the country's forestry sector”.Government of Kazakhstan · Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
- The damage to the forest was presented as a total of more than KZT 165 bn, of which about KZT 130 bn is a valuation of lost ecosystem functions.Ministry of Ecology · Tengrinews
Recorded
- The reserve valued the material damage at KZT 161,555,125,335 over a final fire area of 63,333 ha.
- The Ministry of Ecology valued the damage at more than KZT 165 bn: about KZT 30 bn direct damage and about KZT 130 bn for loss or reduction of the forest's useful properties.
- Before the fire, foresters earned under KZT 100,000 a month and firefighters about KZT 200,000; an ecologist quoted by Informburo said forestry was financed “on a residual principle”.
- After the fire, 12,876 state forest guard employees received a 100% salary rise in 2023, and KZT 8.4 bn from the national budget was allocated for 2024–2027 pay rises in forestry and nature protection.
- Video surveillance covered about 26–27% of the reserve in May 2024.
- Four fire trucks donated by the public association “Ak Ertis” stood idle because, the reserve said, Euro-3 vehicles cannot be registered.
- Firms buy burned wood at electronic auctions for KZT 10,300 per cubic metre; more than KZT 7,000 of that goes to the state as the standing-timber fee, and the reserve said the rest covers wages and fuel.
- The convicted reserve leaders asked for acquittal on appeal; the Abai Region Court left the verdict unchanged.
- The pre-trial case against officials of the Ministry of Ecology and the Ministry of Emergency Situations ended with disciplinary measures.
- Earlier fires in the reserve: 260 ha and KZT 78 mln of damage in 2018; 3,948 ha in 2020.
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- kazakhstan-prosecutor-generals-office (10 November 2023): Gave lightning on a conifer in a dry thunderstorm as the cause, and said the leaders of the reserve and the branch had not fulfilled duties to organise firefighting, had misjudged the situation and had not ensured safety. · Tengrinews
- kz-ministry-of-ecology (16 October 2023): Announced a damage valuation of more than KZT 165 bn, split into about KZT 30 bn direct damage and about KZT 130 bn for loss of forest functions. · Tengrinews
- semey-ormany-reserve (30 May 2024): Valued the damage at KZT 161,555,125,335; said it bought 10 trucks, 14 small firefighting units and fire-resistant gear after the fire. · Tengrinews
- kazakhstan-government (26 July 2024; 8 October 2024): Prime Minister said KZT 52 bn was allocated in 2024 for forestry firefighting equipment and that the tragedy must not repeat. · Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2023–2024Claimant wonCriminal case against the reserve's acting director general and the Novoshulbinsk branch directorBorodulikha District Court, Abai region · Criminal · Prosecutors → Acting director general of the Semey Ormany reserve; director of the Novoshulbinsk branch
On 13 May 2024 the court convicted both under Criminal Code Article 292 part 3 (violation of fire-safety requirements causing by negligence the death of two or more persons; 5–10 years) and sentenced each to seven years' imprisonment; minor children were a mitigating factor. It found they had failed to organise firefighting, misjudged the situation and did not ensure safety, which led to 14 deaths. BES.media
- 2024–2024Claimant wonAppeal in the Article 292 caseAbai Region Court · Appeal · Prosecutors → Acting director general of the Semey Ormany reserve; director of the Novoshulbinsk branch
On 26 August 2024 the court left the verdict unchanged and did not satisfy the appeals; the convicted had asked for acquittal. Tengrinews
- 2024Claimant wonKZT 26.02m damage set by the court (KZT 26,023,070)Criminal case against the head of the reserve's IT and communications departmentSemey City Court No. 2; Abai Region Court on appeal · Criminal · Prosecutors → Head of the reserve's IT and communications department
Convicted in October 2024 under Article 371 part 2 (negligence): two years' imprisonment and a three-year ban from public-service posts; upheld on appeal in December 2024. Payments to service companies for lightning-detection maintenance were made in 2021–2023 and experts concluded the system did not function properly from 2020 to 2023. The convicted admitted guilt, disputed the amount and asked for the civil claim to be heard separately. Tengrinews
- 2024Claimant wonCriminal case against the acting director general of the forest aviation protection baseBorodulikha District Court, Abai region · Criminal · Prosecutors → Acting director general of the state enterprise “Kazakh base for aviation protection of forests and forestry services”
Convicted in October 2024 under Article 371 part 2: two years' imprisonment and a two-year ban from public-service posts (as relayed from the Prosecutor General's Office). Sputnik Kazakhstan
- 2024–OngoingTimber-theft investigation at a branch of the reserveInterior Ministry investigation · Criminal · Interior Ministry → A branch director of the reserve and associates (suspects; not named)
On 9 July 2024 the Interior Ministry detained a branch director of the reserve and associates; more than 20 people were taken to police. The suspected offences are theft of timber, abuse of office, taking bribes, embezzlement and forgery. Tens of cubic metres of commercial timber and cash (amount not stated) were seized. The investigation was ongoing; no outcome is on record. Kapital.kz
- 2025–OngoingRestoration-seedling theft investigationInterior Ministry investigation · Criminal · Interior Ministry → An alleged organised group of local residents and former reserve employees (suspects; not named)
On 22 April 2025 the Interior Ministry reported that the alleged leader and several accomplices were detained on suspicion of stealing 260,000 pine seedlings meant for restoration, worth more than KZT 500 mln. The case is at suspicion stage; no conviction. Orda.kz
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Accounts
- Disputed Number of dead
Record
- Disputed Figures differ: the Ministry of Ecology briefing as reported gives about KZT 30 bn of direct damage and about KZT 130 bn for loss of forest functions, and the same article also cites “direct damage of 160 billion tenge”.
- None on record None on record: a civil-claim amount for the deaths in the Article 292 case (Abai Region Court, 26 August 2024).
- None on record None on record: criminal charges against officials of the Ministry of Ecology or the Ministry of Emergency Situations; the pre-trial case ended with disciplinary measures.
- Not disclosed Not disclosed: the amounts of the employer's monthly payments and one-off help to the families under the collective agreement.
- None on record None on record: hectares replanted or a restoration budget in the Tengrinews report of 30 May 2024.
- None on record None on record: an outcome of the 2024 timber-theft case and the 2025 seedling-theft case; both are at suspicion stage.
Did the harm stop?
The fire was declared fully extinguished on 13 July 2023.
Who paid?
The reserve's pine forest and the 14 employees who died. Families received payments from the fund “Qazaqstan Halqyna”, Halyk Bank, the employer and the state; no payment against the KZT 165 bn damage valuation is on record.
Sources
Government and regulators
- Olzhas Bektenov inspects restoration of Semey Ormany burned pine forestPrime Minister of Kazakhstan · 2024-07-26
- 52 billion tenge allocated this year for forestry firefighting equipment acquisitionPrime Minister of Kazakhstan · 2024-10-08
Press and investigations
- Cause of the large forest fire in Abai region named (in Russian)Tengrinews · 2023-11-10
- Damage from fires in Abai region calculated (in Russian)Tengrinews · 2023-10-16
- Abai fire: what is happening at the site a year later (in Russian)Tengrinews · 2024-05-30
- Appeal court heard the case of deaths in the large Abai forest fire (in Russian)Tengrinews · 2024-08-26
- Semey Ormany fire and death of 14 foresters: those responsible sentenced (in Russian)BES.media · 2024-05-13
- 14 dead in the Semey Ormany fire: court delivers verdict (in Russian)Bizmedia.kz · 2024-05-13
- Prosecutor General's Office closes the Semey Ormany fire cases (in Russian)Sputnik Kazakhstan · 2025-01-22
- What help is given to families of those killed in the Abai fire (in Russian)Kapital.kz · 2023-06-15
- Director of a Semey Ormany branch detained (in Russian)Kapital.kz · 2024-07-11
- How many billions the state spends on fighting forest fires each year (in Russian)Informburo · 2023-06-13
- Kazakhstan reforestation: 9 million trees after the Semey firesTimes of Central Asia · 2026-09-03
Connected cases
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- Government of Kazakhstan (Government) — here: Funded firefighting equipment and pay rises; there: Prime Minister's criticism; funding
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- Government of Kazakhstan (Government) — here: Funded firefighting equipment and pay rises; there: Presented emission cuts and investment pledges
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- Government of Kazakhstan (Government) — here: Funded firefighting equipment and pay rises; there: Party to the confidential December 2014 agreement (Minister of Energy)
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- Government of Kazakhstan (Government) — here: Funded firefighting equipment and pay rises; there: Pursued the claim through intergovernmental channels
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- Government of Kazakhstan (Government) — here: Funded firefighting equipment and pay rises; there: Lessor
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- Government of Kazakhstan (Government) — here: Funded firefighting equipment and pay rises; there: Reallocates test-site land; funds the Nuclear Safety Zone
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