KRASNOYARSK, October 11 (Itar-Tass) —— The total area of forest fires in Siberia decreased by 245.3 hectares over the past 24 hours. On Tuesday morning, teams of fire-fighters resumed suppressing of 32 wildfires in a total area of 1,864.5 hectares, the press service of the Siberian Regional Centre of the Russian Emergencies Ministry said.
The press service reported that 17 forest fires in an area of 1,506 hectares have been confined. Wildfires continue raging in the Baikal Territory, as well as in the republics of Buryatia and Tyva.
The press service of the Siberian regional centre pointed to the improvement of the forest fire situation, which is supported by “a bigger number of control points, limitation of accesses to woodlands, an increase of the number of specialists and machinery involved for fire-fighting operations, as well as mobile replacement of the existing teams to the fire places.”
“It became impossible to put out forest fires in the first 24 hours of their appearance due to the late registration,” the press service said, adding, “About 89 percent of new fires have been extinguished 12 hours after their outbreak.”
Among other factors the press service mentioned long distances between sites of fire outbreaks and population centres, which make it hard to deliver timely teams of fire-fighters and machinery.
“Besides, the index of suppressing the wildfires, which were registered in the first 12 hours, is about 100 percent,” the press service said.
Negligence of the population in the taiga and agricultural grassland burning still remain among the major factors causing fires in the federal district, the press service said.