Nömrög Grassland Fire in Dornod, Mongolia: Accounts from the Parties Involved

This post was split off from the “Accounts” section of Nömrög (Numrug) Grassland Fire in Dornod, Mongolia: Satellite Monitoring and Weather and is updated separately. Satellite monitoring, the burned area and the assessment near the border are in that post.

Satellites can establish when and where the fire started. For what happened before and after ignition, the only sources are the accounts of the parties involved. This post records, in chronological order, the statements issued and the interviews given by Mongolian government bodies, the company Mobicom, and Chinese official sources. Each party is cited only through its own channels or through original reporting on it. As of 10-25, the Mongolian side has not published investigation findings on the cause of the fire.

Reported ignition time and place names

The Xinhua report of 10-11¹ states that “around 13:00 on October 9, a fire broke out inside Mongolia along the border of East Ujimqin Banner, Xilin Gol League” (10 月 9 日 13 时许，锡林郭勒盟东乌珠穆沁旗边境一线蒙古国境内发生火情). This is the time when fire appeared on this border section, one day after the ignition in the satellite record. From 10-04 to 10-12 there were no fire detections of significant size across the border from East Ujimqin Banner (44–46.5°N, 114–119°E). The border along the south side of this Mongolian protrusion adjoins both East Ujimqin Banner and Hinggan League. By the geoBoundaries county-level boundaries, the Chinese side opposite the southern edge of the fire area belongs to East Ujimqin Banner. The “East Ujimqin Banner border line” (东乌旗边境一线) in the news therefore refers to the southern edge of this fire. The CNR report of 10-12² states that “around 13:00 on October 9, a fire broke out inside Mongolia north of Mandubaolige town, East Ujimqin Banner, Xilin Gol League, and the fire line was about 23 km from the East Ujimqin Banner border line” (10 月 9 日 13 时许，锡林郭勒盟东乌珠穆沁旗满都宝力格镇北侧蒙古国境内发生火情，火线离东乌珠穆沁旗边境线约 23 公里). This bearing matches the ignition point determined from the satellites. Note: 23 km differs from the distance of about 27 km between the ignition point and the border given in this post. CNR gives the position of the fire line at 13:00 on 10-09, while this post gives the ignition point on 10-08. The two refer to different times and different features, and this post has not checked them point by point.

The report of the Hinggan League Forestry and Grassland Bureau on 10-16³ is more specific: “at 12:15 on October 8, the Sanguangshan watchtower of the Bailang Forestry Bureau observed a large grassland fire inside Mongolia about 40 km from our league’s border” (10 月 8 日 12 时 15 分，白狼林业局三广山望火楼观测发现蒙古国境内距我盟边境约 40 公里处发生草原大火), and “at 13:00 on October 9, the large Mongolian grassland fire spread on the northwest wind to the border of East Ujimqin Banner, Xilin Gol League” (10 月 9 日 13 时，蒙古国草原大火借助西北风蔓延至锡林郭勒盟东乌珠穆沁旗边境). The sighting at 12:15 is 24–34 minutes after the ignition in the satellite record. Note: the ignition point in this post is about 27 km from the nearest point of the China–Mongolia border, and the distance to the Hinggan League section has not been calculated separately. In the satellite record, the Mongolian fire front in the south section at 12:44–13:27 on 10-09 was 5–8 km north of the border, which differs from the statement that it “spread to the border”; the report may refer to a different position, and this post has not checked them point by point.

The Mongolian official reports give the same ignition date as the satellite record. The state news agency Montsame on 10-12⁴ quotes the Eastern Regional Emergency Management Department:

Энэ сарын 8-ны өдөр Дорнод аймгийн Халхгол сумын Цогтсүмбэр багийн нутаг, Бичигтийн өндөрүүд гэдэг газарт хээрийн түймэр гарсан юм.

On the 8th of this month, a grassland fire broke out at a place called Бичигтийн өндөрүүд (the Bichigt heights) in the territory of Цогтсүмбэр (Tsogt-Sümber) bag, Khalkhgol soum, Dornod Province.

The earliest Mongolian report found for this post is from 10-11. It can therefore only be said that the ignition date in the Mongolian reports matches the satellites; when the Mongolian side first announced the fire is not known. Other Mongolian reports:

• ikon.mn 10-11⁵:

  …3 өдөр ажилласан ч цурамд оруулж чадаагүй байна.

  …after 3 days of work, it still could not be brought under control.

• The Mongolian National Broadcaster (МҮОНРТ 10-12⁶), relaying NEMA:

  …Халхгол суманд энэ сарын 08-нд гарсан хээрийн гал түймрийг өнөөдөр (2026.10.12) 00:55 цагт цурамд оруулж, бүрэн унтраахаар ажиллаж байна.

  …the grassland fire that broke out in Khalkhgol soum on the 8th of this month was brought under control today (2026.10.12) at 00:55, and work is under way to extinguish it completely.

  Note: the satellites still show a resurgence during the day on 10-12, with 196–305 fire pixels per overpass from 11:45 to 14:35 and the main fire line along the border west of Arxan.

• The Montsame 10-12⁴ headline and article:

  Нөмрөгийн дархан цаазат газрын 80 орчим хувийг түймэр хамарчээ

  Fire has covered about 80% of the Nömrög Strictly Protected Area

  Түймэр баруунаас зүүн тийш 96 км, урдаас хойш 82 км газар нутгийг хамарсан…

  The fire covered an area of 96 km from west to east and 82 km from south to north…

  Note: the bounding box of the burn scar in this post is 118.85–119.92°E, 46.61–47.43°N, about 81 km west–east and about 91 km south–north. The magnitudes agree, but the lengths in the two directions do not fully match the report, which does not say how they were measured.

The Mongolian place name near the ignition point is Нөмрөг, romanised Nömrög, Numrug or Nomrog; English sources call the reserve the Nömrög, Numrug or Nomrog Strictly Protected Area. In Chinese it is rendered 努木尔格 in this post and 努姆鲁格 by Guancha⁷. Other names in this post also have more than one spelling: Khalkhgol soum (Халхгол; also Khalkh Gol, Halhgol), Sümber (Сүмбэр; also Sumber), Arxan (阿尔山; also Arshaan), Hinggan League (兴安盟; also Xing’an League) and East Ujimqin Banner (东乌珠穆沁旗; also Dong Ujimqin). Nomonhan (Номон хан), the site of the 1939 Battle of Nomonhan, lies on the lower Khalkh River northwest of the fire area and is a different place from Nömrög.

Border crossing event and entry permits before the fire

Mongolia’s General Authority for Border Protection issued a statement on 10-14. GoGo.mn reprinted it in full on 10-14⁸; Eguur.mn on 10-14⁹ reprinted the part from the entry permits onward. The statement opens with the time and place of ignition and the suppression effort:

Дорнод аймгийн Халхгол сумын Цогтсүмбэр багийн “Бичигтийн-Өндөр” нэртэй газар, улсын хилээс 45 км зайд 2026 оны 10 дугаар сарын 08-ны өдрийн 11.50 цагт хээрийн түймэр гарч, Нөмрөгийн дархан цаазат газрыг хамран тархсан.

At 11:50 on October 8, 2026, a grassland fire broke out at a place called “Бичигтийн-Өндөр” in Цогтсүмбэр bag, Khalkhgol soum, Dornod Province, 45 km from the state border, and spread over the Nömrög Strictly Protected Area.

нийт 60 бүлэг, 606 хүн, 100 нэгж техник хэрэгсэлтэй 10 дугаар сарын 08-13-ны өдрүүдэд ажиллаж, цурамд оруулсан.

A total of 60 groups, 606 people and 100 units of equipment worked on October 8–13 and brought the fire under control.

The responders were the emergency management departments of Dornod, Sükhbaatar, Khentii, Dornogovi and Ömnögovi provinces and Baganuur district, fire and rescue unit 62 in Khalkhgol soum, the soum leadership and residents, staff of the protected area administration, border unit 0198, and emergency services of the neighbouring country.

Note: 11:50 matches the 11:41–11:51 recorded by Himawari-9 and GK-2A. The ignition point used in this post, the pixel where both geostationary satellites first detected warming (46.88°N, 119.40°E), is about 27 km from the border, 18 km closer than the 45 km in the statement. The statement gives no coordinates and does not say how the distance was measured.

On the entry permits, the statement says that Colonel Б.Гантөгс, commander of border unit 0198, acting on applications and under the relevant provisions of law, issued border-zone entry permits to the border crossing administration, Mobicom management and local residents attending the opening ceremony for the fiber connection at the Sümber border crossing. The statement does not list the names of the 13 people. The relevant passages:

хилийн Сүмбэр боомтыг өндөр хурдны шилэн кабельд холбох арга хэмжээний нээлт

opening of the event to connect the Sümber border crossing to high-speed fiber-optic cable

нийт 13 хүн (5 автомашин)-д 2026 оны 10 дугаар сарын 06-08-ны өдрүүдэд хилийн бүсэд нэвтрэх зөвшөөрлийг

permits for a total of 13 people (5 vehicles) to enter the border zone on October 6–8, 2026

For the date of the event, the statement of the General Authority for Border Protection gives October 6 (“10 дугаар сарын 06-ны өдөр”). State Great Khural member У.Отгонбаяр, who attended the opening event, also gives the morning of the 6th in an interview¹⁰ with the newspaper Зууны мэдээ; the reports by Eguur.mn on 10-12¹¹ and urug.mn on 10-13¹² give 10-07. According to this member:

Тэр арга хэмжээг Хил хамгаалах ерөнхий газар, аймгийн ЗДТГ зохион байгуулсан.

The event was organized by the General Authority for Border Protection and the provincial Governor’s Office.

Арга хэмжээнд Мобиком, аймгийн ЗДТГ, ХХЕГ бүгд оролцсон.

Mobicom, the provincial Governor’s Office and the General Authority for Border Protection all took part in the event.

The second half of the Border Protection statement responds to claims circulating online about this member and the commander of border unit 0198:

Улсын Их Хурлын гишүүн У.Отгонбаяр, хилийн цэргийн 0198 дугаар ангийн захирагч хурандаа Б.Гантөгс нар 10 дугаар сарын 06-ны өдөр дээрх арга хэмжээний нээлтэд оролцоод Дорнод аймаг, Халх гол сум руу буцсан бөгөөд хээрийн түймэр гарах үед тухайн газар оронд байгаагүй болно.

State Great Khural member У.Отгонбаяр and Colonel Б.Гантөгс, commander of border unit 0198, attended the opening of the above event on October 6, then returned to Khalkh Gol soum, Dornod Province, and were not in the area when the grassland fire broke out.

Иймд цахим орчинд тархаад буй хээрийн түймэр гарахад эдгээр иргэдтэй хамт явсан, архидан согтуурсан, авлига авсан, зодолдсон, ан агнасан зэрэг нь бодит бус, ташаа мэдээлэл болохыг мэдэгдье.

We therefore state that the information circulating online that they were travelling with these people when the fire broke out, drinking, taking bribes, fighting or hunting is untrue and false.

This post has not checked where these claims originated.

Mobicom and KDDI

Mobicom’s statement of 10-12 (reprinted in full by ikon.mn¹³) says:

Халхголын хилийн отрядын бүс заставыг 4G сүлжээнд холбож, Сүмбэр хилийн боомтод шилэн кабелийн холболт нэвтрүүлсэн ажлыг хүлээлгэн өгөх ажиллагаанд оролцоод, цаашид харилцаа холбооны сүлжээ нэвтрүүлэх боломжийг судлах, газар орны нөхцөл байдалтай танилцах үеэр тээврийн хэрэгсэлд гал гарч, тухайн бүс нутагт хээрийн түймэр гарсан харамсалтай үйл явдал болсон

the group took part in the handover of the work connecting the zone outposts of the Khalkhgol border detachment to the 4G network and bringing a fiber-optic connection to the Sümber border crossing, and afterward, while studying the possibility of extending the telecommunications network further and assessing the local terrain conditions, a vehicle caught fire, and the regrettable incident of a grassland fire breaking out in that area occurred

At 20:58 on 10-14, NTV МЭДЭЭ, the news channel of the Mongolian television station NTV, uploaded a 128-second interview¹⁴ to YouTube. The interviewee’s identity follows NTV’s attribution. The title and the video description:

Мобиком корпорацийн гүйцэтгэх захирал Ясүхиро Очи-оос бид тодруулга авлаа

We sought clarification from Mobicom Corporation CEO Yasuhiro Ochi

Тэрээр Монголын ард түмнээс уучлал хүсэж, тогтоогдсон нөхцөл байдал, холбогдсон хуулийн дагуу учирсан хохирлыг бүрэн барагдуулна гэж мэдэгдлээ.

He apologized to the Mongolian people and stated that the damage caused will be fully compensated in accordance with the established circumstances and the relevant law.

Mobicom’s official Facebook page, mobicom.official, posted a 134-second vertical video of an interview¹⁵, with Mongolian subtitles and Ochi’s name caption on screen. The page data gives the posting time as 21:15 on 10-14, 17 minutes after NTV’s video; whether the two come from the same interview has not been checked. The video description:

Бид байгаль орчинд учруулсан хохиролдоо гүнээ харамсаж, Монголын ард түмнээс чин сэтгэлээсээ уучлал хүсэж байна. Бид хариуцлагаас зайлсхийхгүй бөгөөд холбогдох бүх шатны байгууллагын дүгнэлт, шийдвэр гарсан даруйд зохих ёсоор хүлээж, бүрэн хамтран ажиллах болно. Та бүхнээс дахин чин сэтгэлээсээ уучлал хүсье. #mobicom

We deeply regret the damage we caused to the environment and sincerely apologize to the Mongolian people. We will not evade responsibility; as soon as the conclusions and decisions of the relevant authorities at all levels are issued, we will duly bear it and cooperate fully. Once again, we sincerely apologize to all of you.

Ochi speaks Japanese in the video. The Japanese in the table below was transcribed from the video’s audio with whisper-large-v3, with place names corrected against the subtitles. It has not been checked by ear sentence by sentence, and the original video takes precedence. The Mongolian subtitles were copied from screenshots taken once per second and grouped by Japanese sentence; the copy has not been checked by a Mongolian speaker. Times are when each sentence starts in the audio.

English translation of the Japanese speech:

First, I deeply apologize for the fire that broke out on 8 October 2026 in Khalkhgol, Dornod Province, in the Nömrög protected area, which affected the natural environment and caused damage. I myself, on behalf of Mobicom and also personally, sincerely apologize.

We believe we must properly fulfil our social responsibility. The cause and the extent of the damage will be confirmed by the investigation of the relevant authorities; we will cooperate fully with the investigation and, on the basis of its results and the relevant bills, fulfil our social responsibility and take the necessary measures that we as a company should take. Your concerns are entirely understandable. We deeply apologize for the damage to the natural environment, and I wish to apologize once again to the people of Mongolia.

We will cooperate and coordinate closely with the relevant authorities and respond responsibly on the basis of the investigation results. In accordance with the confirmed events and facts and the related bills, we will take the necessary steps and work responsibly on restoring the natural environment.

I truly want to thank everyone who took part in the firefighting, the nature rangers and the many others involved; we have caused you trouble. I thank you deeply. Mobicom will continue to work steadily on protecting the natural environment, on local development, and on extending coverage for the people of Mongolia. We are truly sorry for the trouble we have caused.

Note: the Japanese speech contains neither 「賠償」 nor 「補償」 (compensation). The nearest sentence is 「当社が当社として対応すべき必要な措置を講じます」 (we will take the necessary measures that we as a company should take). NTV’s description says full compensation, and the subtitle in the 0:41 row reads “учирсан хохирлыг барагдуулахтай холбоотой шаардлагатай арга хэмжээг авах болно” (we will take the necessary measures related to compensating the damage caused). The subtitles differ from the speech in several other places. The opening “Ясухиро Очи миний бие” (I, Yasuhiro Ochi) in the 0:21 row has no counterpart in the speech, and the audio is silent for about 3 seconds before it. “Бид хариуцлагаас зайлсхийхгүй.” (we will not evade responsibility) in the 0:29 row has no counterpart. The 1:35 row lists emergency service personnel, local residents and local authorities, who are not mentioned in the speech, and leaves out 「ご迷惑をおかけしました」 (we have caused you trouble). The final apology at 2:06 has no subtitle. The video description contains the same “Бид хариуцлагаас зайлсхийхгүй” as the 0:29 subtitle, and it describes the damage as “учруулсан” (that we caused), where the 0:00 subtitle has “учирсан” (that occurred). 「関係法案」 (relevant bills) came out the same in three transcriptions and is kept as heard.

According to the Mongolian legal-entity registry¹⁶, Mobicom’s shareholder is KDDI Overseas Holdings B.V., which makes it a subsidiary of KDDI. The press releases, group news and IR announcements in the KDDI newsroom¹⁷ contained no item related to this fire before 10-23; its first announcement was posted on 10-23 and is quoted below. NHK, Kyodo News, Jiji Press, Nikkei, Asahi Shimbun, Yomiuri Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun had no related reports as of 10-19. The first report in a mainstream Japanese outlet was a short Kyodo News dispatch at 22:07 JST on 10-20 (21:07 UTC+8)¹⁸, about 297 hours, or 12 days and 9 hours, after ignition; Sankei Shimbun and other papers carried it that evening. Kyodo wrote that KDDI, asked by Kyodo that day, acknowledged that Japanese Mobicom executives had been inside the protected area and commented:

モビコムの活動に関連して火災が発生し、自然環境に多大な影響を与えたことを極めて重く受け止める

We take extremely seriously that a fire occurred in connection with Mobicom’s activities and had a major impact on the natural environment

The dispatch attributes its account of how the fire started to Xinhua.

KDDI’s 10-21 written reply to an inquiry from Alterna¹⁹ adds three statements:

モビコムがモンゴル東部ドルノド県の自然保護区に立ち入った目的は、4Gネットワークの通信試験を実施するためです。

The purpose of Mobicom’s entry into the nature reserve in Dornod Province, eastern Mongolia, was to carry out communication tests of the 4G network.

国境地域への立ち入りにあたっては、国境警備機関に対して事前に通知していたと確認しています。

We have confirmed that the border guard authorities were notified in advance of the entry into the border area.

なお、モビコムからは10 月 11 日に報告を受けています。

We received a report from Mobicom on 11 October.

KDDI’s 10-22 reply to the Asahi Shimbun²⁰:

発生原因は現地の警察当局が調査中。モビコムの安全管理体制を抜本的に見直し、再発防止を全力で進める

The cause is under investigation by the local police. We will fundamentally review Mobicom’s safety management and do our utmost to prevent a recurrence.

The same report, citing Mongolian state broadcasting, says Mongolia’s prime minister on 10-21 ordered an investigation into the damage and the cause, and said those responsible would be identified and made to pay compensation.

On 10-23 KDDI posted an apology in its newsroom²¹; the page gives 16:00 JST as its publication time, and KDDI’s PR account on X posted the link at 20:42. The announcement says Mobicom had that day published the facts it has confirmed so far and that KDDI was reporting on that basis. The passages on the purpose of the visit, the convoy and how the fire started:

モビコムの社員は2026 年 10 月 6 日から8 日にかけて、国境港湾局の要請に基づき、以下の目的でヌムルグ自然保護区を訪問しました。本火災は下記の訪問中、車両による移動時に発生したものです。 [1] モビコムが整備した通信ネットワークの開通式典への出席 [2] 4G 通信ネットワークの通信品質などの現地確認

From 6 to 8 October 2026, at the request of the border port authority, Mobicom staff visited the Nömrög nature reserve for the following purposes. The fire occurred while travelling by vehicle during this visit. (1) To attend the opening ceremony of the communications network built by Mobicom; (2) to check the quality of the 4G network and related matters on site.

移動中はモビコムの社員の車両 2 台の前後に、当局の車両 3 台が車列の先頭および最後尾を走行する体制がとられていました。

While travelling, 3 vehicles of the authorities drove at the front and rear of the convoy, ahead of and behind Mobicom staff’s 2 vehicles.

モビコム所有の車両は2 台で、社員は計 7 名（2 名の運転手を含む）が乗車していました。当時同行していた日本人はモビコムの越智 CEOのみであり、モビコム社員が運転する車両に乗車していました。

Mobicom owned 2 of the vehicles, carrying 7 staff in total (including 2 drivers). The only Japanese person present was Mobicom CEO Ochi, who rode in a vehicle driven by a Mobicom employee.

枯草が車両下部に付着し火災が発生することを避けるため、安全管理上、車両は20～30 分ごとに停車し、車両に付着した枯草を除去しながら移動していました。

2026 年 10 月 8 日の移動中、枯草を除去するため停車していた際、モビコムの社員の乗車する車両下部からの発煙を確認しました。

その後、国境港湾局およびモビコムの社員は、当局の指示に基づき消火活動を行いましたが、火が周囲の草に燃え移り、延焼をくい止めることができませんでした。

To prevent dry grass from collecting under the vehicles and catching fire, as a safety measure the vehicles stopped every 20 to 30 minutes and travelled while removing the grass that had collected.

While travelling on 8 October 2026, during a stop to remove dry grass, smoke was seen coming from the underside of a vehicle carrying Mobicom staff.

The border port authority and Mobicom staff then fought the fire as instructed by the authorities, but it spread to the surrounding grass and they could not stop it.

The announcement adds that the specific cause of the smoke and the reasons the fire spread are under investigation by the authorities, and that KDDI has confirmed Mobicom’s staff committed 「その他法令違反行為」 (no other violations of law).

Note: on the purpose of entering the reserve, Mobicom’s 10-12 statement says the group, after the handover, was studying the possibility of building a network and familiarising itself with the terrain, and does not mention communication tests; KDDI said on 10-21 the purpose was 4G network communication tests; KDDI’s 10-23 announcement says the group was attending an opening ceremony and checking 4G quality at the border port authority’s request. These accounts are recorded side by side; the Mongolian police have not published findings. The advance notice to the border guards and the entry permit in the announcement are consistent with the 10-06 to 10-08 border-zone permits in the Mongolian General Authority for Border Protection’s statement; the announcement dates that statement 10-13, while the reprint cited here⁸ was published on the morning of 10-14. Other discrepancies are set out in Comparing the accounts below. How Japanese media covered the fire is described in Nömrög (Numrug) Grassland Fire in Dornod, Mongolia: Twelve Days of Japanese Mainstream Media.

Comparing the accounts

Set side by side, the accounts from Mobicom and KDDI and the statements of Mongolian agencies differ in several places.

The last two sentences of Mobicom’s 10-12 statement (full text on newswire.mn²⁶; ikon.mn¹³ carried only the middle passage):

Манай ажилтнууд хилийн цэргийн байгууллагаас зохих журмын дагуу албан ёсны зөвшөөрөл авч, тухайн бүс нутагт нэвтэрсэн болно. Мөн тухайн ажлын хүрээнд орон нутгийн удирдлага, хил хамгаалах байгууллагын удирдлага, бие бүрэлдэхүүн хамт зорчоогүйг албан ёсоор мэдэгдэж байна.

Our employees entered the area after obtaining official permission from the border troops in accordance with the rules. We also state officially that local leaders and the leaders and personnel of the border-protection agency did not travel with us in the course of this work.

Those who received permits, according to the border authority’s statement⁹:

Хилийн боомтын захиргаа, Мобиком корпорацын удирдлага, орон нутгийн иргэд болох нийт 13 хүн (5 автомашин)

The border port administration, Mobicom Corporation management and local residents, 13 people in all (5 vehicles)

KDDI’s 10-23 announcement²¹:

ヌムルグ自然保護区内での行動ならびに移動は、国境港湾局によってすべて管理・監督され、移動中はモビコムの社員の車両 2 台の前後に、当局の車両 3 台が車列の先頭および最後尾を走行する体制がとられていました。

All activity and movement inside the Nömrög nature reserve was managed and supervised by the border port authority; while travelling, 3 vehicles of the authorities drove at the front and rear of the convoy, ahead of and behind Mobicom staff’s 2 vehicles.

Deputy Prime Minister Н.Номтойбаяр, who is in charge of emergencies, briefing on the fire at the State Palace on 10-14 (ikon.mn²²; another version on urug.mn²⁷):

Тэгэхээр Мобиком групп дархан цаазат газарт орох ажил хэргийн шаардлага байсан уу. Мобиком групп Нөмрөгийн застав руу шилэн кабель тавина гэж би сонсоогүй. Нөмрөгийн заставт шилэн кабель тавих шаардлага байхгүй.

So did the Mobicom group have a business need to enter the strictly protected area? I have not heard that the Mobicom group was going to lay fibre-optic cable to the Nömrög border post. There is no need to lay fibre to the Nömrög border post.

Би Дорнод аймгийг найман жил төлөөлж, УИХ-д сонгогдож байсан. Дархан цаазат газар учраас хэдий УИХ-ын гишүүн ч гэлээ холбогдох байгууллагад нь мэдэгддэг байсан.

I represented Dornod Province in parliament for eight years. Because it is a strictly protected area, even as a member of parliament I would notify the relevant bodies.

The member of parliament У.Отгонбаяр, who attended the opening ceremony, in an interview with Зууны мэдээ¹⁰:

Би Сүмбэрт аравдугаар сарын 6-ны үдээс өмнө ажиллаад, тэгээд аймаг явсан. Харин тэр хүмүүс тэндээ үлдсэн. Би цаашаа явсан. Тэр хүмүүс Нөмрөг рүү явах замдаа гал тавьсан юм байна гэж ойлгосон.

I took part in the event at Sümber on the morning of 6 October and then went to the provincial centre. Those people stayed there. I left first. My understanding is that those people started the fire on their way to Nömrög.

Note: the opening ceremony was on the morning of 10-06 at Sümber (border authority statement, the MP’s interview); the fire was on 10-08, reported at a location 125 km southeast of the Khalkhgol sum centre (ikon.mn citing the emergency agency¹³). The MP says Nömrög is 80 to 90 km from the Sümber port. KDDI lists attending the opening ceremony and checking network quality together as the purposes of visiting the reserve; only the second can account for activity inside the reserve on the day of the fire. Kyodo, citing KDDI, reports that the group was on its way back when the fire started²³. The deputy prime minister speaks of laying fibre to the Nömrög border post, while Mobicom and KDDI speak of fibre to the Sümber port and 4G at the posts inside the reserve, so the two are not describing the same work; what the deputy prime minister questions is the business need to enter the reserve.

Note: the Mongolian outlet Eguur.mn reported on 10-12 that Mobicom’s management and others in 5 vehicles entered the reserve on the 8th with the permission of the commander of border unit 0198 to catch freshwater taimen¹¹. Xinhua’s report of 23:46 on 10-21 cites 「多家蒙古国媒体」 (several Mongolian media) as saying the group planned to hunt in the reserve or fish for an endangered species, without naming the outlets²⁸. The border authority’s 10-14 statement says the MP and the unit 0198 commander were not there when the fire started and that rumours of their travelling with the group, drinking, taking bribes, fighting or hunting are untrue; it says nothing on whether the Mobicom group was fishing. KDDI’s announcement does not address it directly either; asked by FNN on 10-23, KDDI said it was 「確認中」 (checking)²⁹.

Note: Mobicom’s 10-12 statement says local leaders and the border-protection agency did not travel with the group and does not mention the border port administration; the border authority’s list includes the port administration, consistent with the border port authority vehicles KDDI describes, so the two statements do not contradict each other on their wording. But the 10-12 statement stresses that no officials came along, while the 10-23 announcement stresses that the authorities managed the whole trip. KDDI’s 2 plus 3 vehicles match the border authority’s 5; the border authority gives 13 people, while KDDI gives only Mobicom’s 7, and the local residents on the list do not appear in the announcement.

Note: FNN reported on 10-23, citing local media and the head of the reserve administration, that the group paid no entry fee and did not notify the reserve office in advance²⁹. FNN does not name the outlet or the official, and I could not find the original Mongolian report.

Note: Mongolia’s Law on Special Protected Areas (current text, including the 2023 amendments³⁰) divides strictly protected areas into pristine, protection and restricted zones: in the pristine zone only observational research that does not disturb the natural state is allowed (Article 9.2); the activities listed for the restricted zone require appropriate permission (Article 11); the protected-area administration grants permission for activities allowed under the protection regime and supervises them (Article 30.1.2); and Article 6 lists entry fees to special protected areas as a source of funding. The border authority’s statement cites a border-zone permit under Article 25 of the State Border Law, and Mobicom and KDDI mention only the border troops’ permit; neither side’s published material mentions a permit from the protected-area administration. Which zone the fire started in I have not checked, as I do not have the zone boundaries.

Mongolian firefighting and investigation

NEMA’s daily bulletin of 10-12³¹:

дуудлагыг 10.08-ны өдрийн 11:55 цагт хүлээн авсан

the call was received at 11:55 on October 8

This is 4–14 minutes after the satellites first detected warming. The containment line at 00:55 on 10-12 and the report that about 80% of the protected area burned are covered above, in the section on the reported ignition time and place names. NEMA’s bulletin of 10-16³²:

хээрийн түймрийг өнөөдөр (2026.10.16) 07:00 цагт бүрэн унтраалаа

the grassland fire was completely extinguished today (2026.10.16) at 07:00

On the satellites, the last fire pixels of the main fire were at 14:52 on 10-15, which is consistent with this.

Montsame’s description of Nömrög from 2026-05³³:

1992 онд улсын тусгай хамгаалалтад авч, 1995 онд УИХ-ын 26 дугаар тогтоолоор Дархан цаазат газрын ангилалд оруулан баталгаажуулжээ.

Placed under special state protection in 1992 and designated a strictly protected area in 1995 by State Great Khural Resolution No. 26.

587 мянган га талбайг эзлэн оршдог.

It covers an area of 587 thousand hectares.

With 587 thousand hectares, 80% is about 4,700 km², close to the burned area of about 4,900 km² in this post. The preliminary estimate of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change on 10-20³⁴ is 528,765.5 hectares burned in total, of which 468,965.7 hectares, or 79.8% of the protected area, lie inside it, which puts about 598 km² outside the protected area. This post has no protected-area boundary data and has not checked this split.

On the investigation, Montsame on 10-12³⁵ writes:

Одоогоор түймэр гарсан шалтгаан, нөхцөл … нарийвчлан тогтоохоор ажиллаж байна

Work is currently under way to determine in detail the cause and circumstances of the fire…

The statement of the General Authority for Border Protection⁹ says:

Хилийн бүсэд нэвтэрсэн иргэдийн санамсар болгоомжгүй байдлын улмаас автомашинд гал гарч, хээрийн түймэр болон өргөжсөн

Due to the carelessness of citizens who entered the border zone, a vehicle caught fire, and the fire spread into a grassland fire

хууль хяналтын байгууллагууд албаны шалгалт явуулж байна

Law enforcement agencies are conducting an official investigation

The Dornod Province local outlet nutag.mn reported on 10-17³⁶:

Түймрийн шалтгаан нөхцлийг тогтоохоор аймгийн цагдаагийн газрын ажлын хэсэг шалгалтын ажиллагааг эхлүүлээд байгаа аж.

A working group of the provincial police department has reportedly begun an investigation to determine the cause and circumstances of the fire.

A release from the Mongolian government’s press office, published on the Mongolian National Broadcaster’s site at 14:27 on 10-21³⁷:

Түймрийн улмаас байгаль орчинд учирсан хохирлыг тогтоож, үнэлгээ хийх, нөхөн сэргээх арга хэмжээний төлөвлөгөө боловсруулж, түймрийн шалтгаан, нөхцөлийг шалгаж, гэм буруутай этгээдийг тогтоох, хуульд заасан хариуцлага хүлээлгэх, байгаль орчинд учирсан хохирлыг буруутай этгээдээр нөхөн төлүүлэх, хор уршгийг арилгуулах асуудлыг хууль тогтоомжийн хүрээнд судалж, шийдвэрлэх арга хэмжээ авна.

The damage the fire caused to the environment will be established and assessed, a restoration plan drawn up, the cause and conditions of the fire examined, those at fault identified and held liable as the law provides, and made to compensate for the environmental damage and remedy its consequences; these matters will be studied and resolved within the framework of the law.

A release from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change on 10-20³⁸ says Minister Ts. Sandag-Ochir visited Khalkhgol sum, where a working group set up by order of the sum governor is assessing the damage together with the ministry’s specialists. The assessment covers ecological and property damage, firefighting costs, and soil, water, plants, animals and the habitats of rare species, using satellite imagery, field measurements and laboratory analysis. After the cabinet meeting of 10-21, the minister said, as reported by iKon³⁹:

30 хоногийн дотор хохирлын хэмжээг тогтоох хуулийн заалттай.

The law requires the amount of damage to be determined within 30 days.

He also said the damage would not be limited to the burned area, and that forest, air, soil, subsoil, vegetation and wildlife would all be assessed; the cabinet discussed a 188 km fence along the reserve’s boundary. For comparison, iKon reported on 10-23⁴⁰ that in 2023 about 76% of the Nömrög reserve, some 447,000 hectares, burned, and that the damage was assessed at 3.6 billion tögrög, about 3.46 billion of it for pasture; the report does not say who bore that cost.

As of 10-25, no official investigation findings have been published, and no information has been published on a case being opened or charges being filed.

Chinese border response

Chinese official reports do not mention the name of the protected area or the cause of the fire. Across from the southern edge of the fire area is East Ujimqin Banner, Xilin Gol League, and across from the eastern edge is Arxan City, Hinggan League; the “East Ujimqin Banner border line” (东乌珠穆沁旗边境一线) and the Arxan direction in the Xinhua report of 10-11¹ refer to the same fire. That report said Inner Mongolia had mobilized more than 2,000 people to guard the border section by section, and that as of 21:00 on 10-11 “the fire has not yet spread into the country” (大火暂未蔓延入境). The Xinhua report of 10-13⁴¹ said Inner Mongolia had deployed more than 3,400 personnel from professional teams, that “this round of Mongolian grassland fire did not cross the border line” (此轮蒙古国草原火未越过边境线), and that as of 11:00 on 10-13 “intermittent fire lines remained only in parts of the Mongolian side along the border” (边境沿线仅蒙古国一侧局部尚存断续火线). The Inner Mongolia Daily report of 10-13⁴² said of Hinggan League that “as of 14:00 on October 12, the fire from outside the country had been successfully stopped outside the border” (截至 10 月 12 日 14 时，境外火势被成功阻击在边境之外). Su Fengjiao, director of the Hinggan League Emergency Management Bureau, said (Inner Mongolia News 10-13⁴³): “We immediately launched a Level IV emergency response for forest and grassland fires, and coordinated more than 2,000 personnel from all sides to guard the border section by section and block the fire along the whole line.” (我们第一时间启动森林草原火灾处置四级应急响应，统筹各方力量 2000 余人分段布防，全线堵截。) The Xilin Gol League Emergency Management Bureau (CCTV Finance 10-13⁴⁴) stated that “the open flames did not cross the national border and have not yet caused direct losses on our side such as damage to forest and grassland resources or casualties” (明火未越过国境线，尚未造成我方森林草原资源损毁、人员伤亡等直接损失). The People’s Daily app on 10-14 (reposted by gmw.cn)⁴⁵ said that “this round of Mongolian grassland fire did not cross the border line and caused no casualties on our side” (此轮蒙古国草原火未越过边境线，未造成我人员伤亡).

The report of the Hinggan League Forestry and Grassland Bureau on 10-16³ records the response on the Hinggan League side. From 10-09 it “assembled a professional firefighting force of 530 and stationed it section by section along the 131 km border defense line under its responsibility” (集结 530 人专业扑火队分段驻守在 131 公里边境责任防线). At 17:00 on 10-10 “the nearest point of the fire was only 9.2 km from our league’s border” (最近火点距我盟边境仅 9.2 公里), and “at the peak, 680 personnel were stationed on the front line with 750 on standby” (最高峰实现一线驻防 680 人、备勤 750 人). After a sudden wind shift at 12:40 on 10-11, it “used the border patrol road to carry out precise counter-burning in the hundred-meter buffer between the border wire fence and the firebreak, building a flame-retardant barrier about 100 m wide” (依托边境巡逻路，对国境铁丝网至防火隔离带百米缓冲区开展精准对冲点烧作业，构建宽度约 100 米的阻燃隔离屏障), and “the backburning of the control segments was completed in full: 29 km in the Horqin Right Front Banner sector, 21 km in the Wuchagou sector, 58 km in the Bailang Forestry Bureau sector and 23 km in the Arxan City sector” (科右前旗战区 29 公里、五岔沟战区 21 公里、白狼林业局战区 58 公里、阿尔山市战区 23 公里防控区段点烧作业全面完成). On 10-13 there were 2 residual smoke points outside the country. “From 22:00 on October 13 to 01:00 on the 14th, the meteorological department carried out artificial rain (snow) enhancement, firing a total of 56 rockets and flying 2 hours 46 minutes of aircraft operations; the operation area received 1–2 mm of snowfall and 1 cm of snow cover” (10 月 13 日 22 时至 14 日 1 时，气象部门开展人工增雨（雪）作业，累计发射火箭弹 56 枚、飞机作业 2 小时 46 分钟，作业区域形成 1—2 毫米降雪、1 厘米积雪). “As of 13:00 on October 15, there was no smoke and no fire at all within visible range inside Mongolia across from the Hinggan League border” (截至 10 月 15 日 13 时，兴安盟边境对面蒙古国境内可视范围彻底无烟无火), and the remaining personnel withdrew. The report also mentions “the league’s 196 km staggered border firebreak” (全盟 196 公里错落式边境防火隔离带). Note: the last fire pixels of the main fire in the satellite record are at 13:48 and 14:52 on 10-15, more than 11 km from the border, which does not contradict the statement of no smoke or fire “within visible range” at 13:00.

The CCTV News report of 10-15 (reposted by gmw.cn)⁴⁶ says: “On October 12, a working group of the Ministry of Emergency Management went to the Inner Mongolia border to guide the fire-blocking work.” (10 月 12 日，应急管理部工作组赴内蒙古边境一线，指导火灾堵截工作。) It continues: “After several days of coordinated operations by multiple rescue forces, more than 330 km of fire from outside the country was successfully blocked, and it did not burn into our country’s territory anywhere along the line.” (经过这几天多方救援力量协同作战，成功堵截境外火 330 余公里，全线未烧入我国境内。) The methods were “tactics such as patrolling in readiness to suppress, clearing while suppressing, and widening firebreaks, with 5 task areas designated” (以巡待扑、边打边清、拓宽隔离带等战术战法，划分 5 个任务区域). As of publication, “the fire blocking is under control overall” (火情堵截整体可控). The CCTV.com report of 10-15 22:02⁴⁷: “As of 12:00 on the 15th, after coordinated efforts by all forces, the grassland fire that broke out inside Mongolia has been successfully blocked at the China–Mongolia border line, and the fire line has not burned into our country’s territory. Within visible range along the border in Xilin Gol League, Hinggan League and Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, there is no smoke and no fire.” (截至 15 日 12 时，经各方力量协同攻坚，发生在蒙古国境内的草原火灾已成功堵截于中蒙边境一线，火线未烧入我国境内。内蒙古锡林郭勒盟、兴安盟、呼伦贝尔市边境一线可视范围内无烟无火。) “At present, the firefighting forces have shifted to routine patrol and watch, and will withdraw in an orderly manner after 24 hours depending on the situation.” (目前，扑火力量转入常态化巡护看守，24 小时后视情况有序撤离。)

Southern Weekly on 10-18⁴⁸ interviewed Wang Yong (王永), a firefighter with the Arxan City Forestry and Grassland Bureau. On 10-10, “at around 9 p.m., the border crossings on the Chinese and Mongolian sides coordinated to let them through. Wang Yong and about 20 teammates crossed the border and, led by a Mongolian guide, went more than twenty kilometers into Mongolian territory, where they put out a fire line about 5 km long” (晚 9 时许，中蒙双方口岸协调放行。王永和队友约 20 人出境，并在蒙古国向导带领下深入其境内二十余公里处，扑灭了约 5 公里长的火线); on 10-11 “they crossed the border twice to put out flames” (他们两次出境扑灭火焰), and after they returned at night, “the subsequent fire situation at the border was handed over to professional firefighters” (边境后续的火情交由专业消防人员接手).