Emergencies minister announces tenfold drop in number of new forest fires in Buryatia
CHERYOMUSHKI SETTLEMENT (Buryatia). Aug 27 (Interfax) - Buryatia has cut tenfold the number of new fires, Minister of Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov said at an urgent meeting in the settlement of Cheryomushki, in the Baikal district of the republic, near which a major forest fire is raging.
"All our decisions to restrict access to the forest for people were not in vain. For the past 24 hours the number of new fires has shrunken tenfold. Only one new fire broke out, and I ask the law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor's office to look closely for its causes," the minister of emergency situations said.
He demanded all new fires be taken under tough control. "Each fire should be officially probed and concrete [investigations into] people who are blamed for fires' occurrence should be established," Puchkov said.
The minister warned that tight preventative measures should be taken in the forests so as to prevent new fires from sparking up. "The Federal Forestry Agency, bring your units to order so that they will be doing their work and taking preventative actions, but will not be waiting for the fire to come to them," the minister said.
