Wildfires area in Buryatia drops to 145,000 hectares
CHITA. Sept 1 (Interfax) - The number of wildfires in Buryatia has decreased by 20-35 and their total area by 5,000 hectares to a total of 145,000 hectares in the past 24 hours, a spokesperson for the national forestry agency said on Tuesday.
Firefighters have put out 12 wildfires covering a total area of over 6,500 hectares in five districts of the republic and in the suburbs of its capital Ulan-Ude. Large wildfires were put out in the Baikal and Dzherginsky nature reserves in the Baikal and Kabansk Districts, the spokesperson said.
The fire-fighting effort involves over 2,000 personnel.
The state of emergency is still in place across the republic. The forest area is being patrolled to prevent more wildfires. Public access to the forest is categorically prohibited.
