Wildfire zone in Siberia grows 7 times in 3 days - Rosleskhoz
NOVOSIBIRSK. April 7 (Interfax) - Some 68 forest fires were burning on 12,144.1 hectares in the Siberian Federal District as of Monday morning, the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz) district department said.
The wildfires are raging in the Republic of Buryatia (21 on 626.6 hectares), the Trans-Baikal territory (45 on 11,444.49 hectares), the Republic of Tuva (one on 62 hectares), and the Krasnoyarsk territory (one on eleven hectares).
Twenty-three fires were confined to 10,170.5 hectares, including eight fires on 9,694 hectares in the Republic of Buryatia and the Krasnoyarsk territory.
Fifty-nine forest fires were put out on 1,844.61 hectares on the Republic of Buryatia, Tuva and the Trans-Baikal, Altai and Krasnoyarsk territories, including five fires on 382 hectares in the Trans-Baikal territory.
Hence, the wildfire zone in Siberia had grown seven times, from 1,705.9 hectares as of Friday morning.
Some 1,328 foresters and smoke jumpers, 212 fire engines and seven aircraft were assigned to extinguish the flames.
Negligence by local residents and agricultural burning caused most of the fires.
A fire alert was put into place in Chita and the Baley, Akshinsky and Kyrinsky districts of the Trans-Baikal territory.
The emergency situations regime is in effect in nine territorial divisions of the Trans-Baikal territory (Karymoskoye, Chita, Aginskoye, Sretensk, Krasnochikoysky, Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky and Khilok districts and the city of Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky).
