Siberian wildfire zone reduces seven times over holidays
MOSCOW. June 16 (Interfax) - Nineteen forest fires were burning on 251.9 hectares in the Siberian Federal District as of Monday morning, the district department of the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz) said.
Four fires are burning on 58 hectares in the Irkutsk region, three on 52 hectares in Tuva, 14 on 77.9 hectares in the Krasnoyarsk territory and two on 64 hectares in the Trans-Baikal territory. Eleven forest fires were confined to 153.1 hectares in the Trans-Baikal and Krasnoyarsk territories and the Irkutsk region.
Twenty-three forest fires were put out on 140.85 hectares in the Republic of Buryatia, the Altai, Trans-Baikal and Krasnoyarsk territories and the Omsk region over the past day.
The Siberian wildfire area reduced by 7.2 times over the past five days, from 1,813.3 hectares in the morning of June 11.
The fires were put out by 289 foresters and smokejumpers supported by 38 fire engines and 15 aircraft.
Most fires were caused by negligence of local residents and agricultural burnings.
The Siberian Federal District has seen 5,094 forest fires on an area of 836,900 hectares since the beginning of this wildfire season.
Meanwhile, nine forest fires are raging in the Far East and six were put out over the past 24 hours, the district forestry department said on Monday.
"Fifteen fires were burning in the Far Eastern Federal District yesterday, nine of them in Yakutia, three in the Amur region, two in the Khabarovsk territory and one in the Kamchatka territory. Firemen put out six fires and confined five," the report runs.
The flames spread into 111 hectares over the past 24 hours.
Some 305 men, 29 fire engines, six planes and six helicopters fought the fire. The firefighting force concentrated on Yakutia.
As of Monday morning the Far Eastern Federal District reported nine fires, including six in Yakutia, two in the Amur region and one in the Khabarovsk territory.
A total of 1,754 forest fires have broken out on more than 458,000 hectares since the beginning of the wildfire season.