All news

Emergency regime imposed in Buryatia over new wave of forest fires

As of now, as many as 19 forest fires are reported on an area of more than 440 hectares in the taiga forests

ULAN UDE, September 27 (Itar-Tass) —— An emergency regime has been imposed in a number of district of Russia’s republic of Buryatia over a new wave of forest fires, a spokesman for the republican forestry agency told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

As of now, as many as 19 forest fires are reported on an area of more than 440 hectares in the taiga forests. Twenty-five new fires on an area of 140 hectares were registered on Monday, while 21 fire seats on an area of 156 hectares were put out.

“Forest fires are reported in the Bichursky, Zaigrayevsky, Ivolginsky, Dzhidinsky, Yeravinsky, Zakamensky, and Khorinsky districts, and in an Ulan Ude suburb. A big fire in ravaging on 150 hectares in the Selenginsky district. The fire was caused by mishandling of fire by local residents,” the spokesman said.

Fire fighting operations involve about 300 men and more than 50 units of hardware.

Since this year’s spring, there have been 1,300 forest fires, which destroyed more than 65,000 hectares of taiga in the republic of Buryatia.