Wildfires spreading in remote Russian territories - Avialesokhrana
MOSCOW. Aug 2 (Interfax) - Officers of the Avialesokhrana federal enterprise put out 25 forest fires on over 6,000 hectares over the day, while fires burning outside controlled areas grew by over 50,000 hectares, the enterprise said in a statement on Friday.
"According to regional dispatch services of the forestry industry, 25 forest fires were put out on 6,866 hectares in Russia yesterday, on August 1, 2019," the statement said.
Most fires were reported from the Irkutsk region, where 62 forest fires are being extinguished on 89,503 hectares. The fires grew by 7,000 hectares over the day.
The Krasnoyarsk Territory is fighting 69 forest fires on 26,459 hectares, and 17 forest fires are being fought on 1,411 hectares in Yakutia. Twenty-four aircraft are providing aerial monitoring, and another 24 are fighting fires, Avialesokhrana said.
Meanwhile, wildfires in remote and difficult-to-access areas, which are not being fought on orders from regional emergency commissions, have grown by 56,000 hectares over the day.
As of 12:00 a.m. on Friday, 315 fires of the sort were raging on 3,012,082 hectares.
Most fires of the sort were seen in Yakutia (106 on 1.2 million hectares), the Krasnoyarsk Territory (59 on 1 million hectares), and the Irkutsk region (70 on 628,000 hectares).