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EMERCOM says fact of arson in woodlands near Siberian city confirmed

Investigation of the fires in the woodland park area continues

IRKUTSK, October 2 (Itar-Tass) – Fact of arson in the woodland park of the East-Siberian city of Bratsk, which is home to some of Russia’s major power-engineering, metallurgical and woodworking facilities, has been established and confirmed, the chief of the regional branch of the Ministry for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense /EMERCOM/ told a news conference Sunday.

“We’ve established the fact confirming the arsons,” said Major General Vyacheslav Eglit.

“Upon the results of fluorescent spectroscopic examination of the artifacts found at a hotbed of fire in the sanitary zone of the Bratsk forestry and woodworking industry, products of heavy fractions of crude oil were found,” he said. “Their composition was close to the one of burned-out diesel fuel.”

Investigation of the fires in the woodland park area continues.

Vladimir Pashkov, first deputy prime minister of the Irkutsk region where Bratsk is located, said there was no blazing in the last hotbed of wildfire, but the smoke screen was still present in the city due to smoldering on a big area.

“The only way to deal with the situation is to continue profuse watering and amassed spading of the soil,” he said adding that this was exactly what the units of firefighters were doing.

“Units of volunteers will be dispatched to the sites of smoldering tomorrow,” he said.

In the past several days, the fires in the woodlands surrounding the heavily industrialized Bratsk compelled the authorities to declare a state of emergency there, as pungent smoke filled the atmosphere in and around the city.

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