ULAN BATOR, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of firefighters are battling forest fires in two northern Mongolian provinces, the country's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said Thursday.

The fires broke out on Wednesday in Khutag-Undur soum (administrative subdivision) of Bulgan province and in Galt soum of Khuvsgul province due to the negligence of citizens, the NEMA said in a statement.

According to experts, the main causes of natural fires are careless handling of fire by citizens, as well as deliberate burning of grass and debris.

Due to dry and windy weather conditions in most parts of Mongolia, in the autumn of 2025, there is a high risk of sudden forest-steppe fires, the agency said, urging the public to prevent possible wildfires. ■