Siberian fires grow by almost a third in past 24 hours - Rosleskhoz
NOVOSIBIRSK. May 22 (Interfax) - Eighty-nine wildfires were burning across 28,769.9 hectares in Siberia on Friday morning, the Siberian Federal District forestry department has said.
"The fires are raging in the Transbaikal territory (30 fires across 14,024.2 hectares), the Krasnoyarsk territory (four across 80 hectares), Buryatia (27 across 7,812 hectares), the Irkutsk region (17 across 6,002 hectares), and Tuva (eleven across 851.7 hectares)," the report said.
Siberia saw 53 wildfires across 21,998.1 hectares the day before. The fire zone has now grown by approximately 31%.
Thirty-two forest fires have been confined to 14,365.5 hectares in the Republics of Buryatia, Khakassia and Tuva, the Transbaikal territory and the Irkutsk region.
Additionally, Siberian Federal District foresters put out 50 wildfires across 2,425.2 hectares in the Altai, Transbaikal and Krasnoyarsk territories, the Republics of Buryatia, Khakassia and Tuva and the Irkutsk region, including nine large fires on 1,546 hectares in the Transbaikal territory and the Irkutsk region.
The fires were fought by 3,010 foresters and 522 fire engines.
Most fires were caused by negligence.
A fire alert was declared throughout the Republic of Altai, the Kemerovo and Irkutsk regions and the Altai territory, 14 districts of the Novosibirsk region, 13 districts of the Krasnoyarsk territory, and three districts of the Tomsk region.
An emergency situation regime was put into place across the Transbaikal territory, the Republics of Tuva and Khakassia, 19 districts of the Republic of Buryatia, two districts of the Krasnoyarsk territory, and one district of the Irkutsk region.
In all, 3,347 wildfires have broken out across 858,700 hectares in the Siberian Federal District this year.