Kolyma tundra ablaze in Russia amid temperatures of -15 degrees Celsius

MOSCOW. Nov 3 (Interfax) - A wildfire has broken out in Russia's Magadan region, where dry grass has caught fire in frosty, but snowless weather.

"As a rule, the tundra is covered with snow at this time of year, so such fires are extremely rare," an informed source told Interfax.

According to the source, dry grass is burning near the town of Raduzhny in the Olsky district, where temperatures are down to -15 degrees Celsius.

The nearby water reservoirs are frozen and cannot be used to put out the fire.

Meanwhile, the Magadan regional branch of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry has said that the fire is moving away from Raduzhny, toward Lake Glukhoye.

"The fire is burning 12 kilometers from the town. The town isn't in danger, and the maximum allowable concentration of chemical substances in the air has not been exceeded," it said.

Forces and hardware of the forestry department and the firefighting and rescue center of the Magadan region, which have jurisdiction over such emergencies, are monitoring the situation and patrolling the area.

Meanwhile, the Aerial Forest Protection Service (Avialesokhrana) has said that five wildfires are currently burning in Russia, including three in the Jewish Autonomous District.

"As of midnight on November 3, five forest fires were burning in Russian territories, including fires being fought over an area of 63 hectares," Avialesokhrana said.

Three forest fires were raging on 26 hectares in the Jewish Autonomous District, one on 25 hectares in the Primorye Territory, and one on 12 hectares in the Khabarovsk Territory, Avialesokhrana said.