Ninety percent of wildfires put out within 24 hours in Russia - Deputy PM Abramchenko

MOSCOW. May 13 (Interfax) - Ninety percent of wildfires are put out within 24 hours in Russia, which is almost 15% more than last year, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko said on Friday.

"The extinguishment rate stood at 76% in previous years; 76% of fires were put out within 24 hours. This year, since the beginning of 2022, the rate stands at 90%," Abramchenko said on the Rossiya 24 television channel (VGTRK).

It will be possible to achieve 100% extinguishment of wildfires by 2024, she said.

"I believe we can do it by 2024, [...] thanks to the funding and the resources of the Ecology National Project," Abramchenko said in response to a relevant question.

The Ecology National Project assigns funds to regions for the procurement of firefighting equipment and hardware, she said, adding that more than 6,000 pieces of hardware had been procured to date.

"We in the government have agreed to prioritize the funding of regions with the highest wildfire rates, so that their needs are met 100% in the near future. So, next year these regions with the highest wildfire rate will have 100% of the required firefighting equipment," Abramchenko said.