Of the 349 forest and grassland fires, [br] [originaltext] Scores of forest

Scores of forest fires continue to rage out of control across Mongolia where blazes that began in February are threatening an environmental impact that could last more than 100 years. Of the 349 forest and grassland fires that have swept the country in the past three months, 219 have been put out, [29B]89 controlled and 41 remained out of control in 7 provinces. [30C]The latest death from the fires rose to 26, six of them fire-fighters killed in a single incident last week, with 63 seriously injured. Some 7 million hectares of grassland and 4 million hectares of forest have been destroyed while 7,000 heads of livestock have perished.