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Over 19,000 ha of wildfires blazing in Siberia, Urals, Far East

There is no threat to spreading the fire to settlements and economic facilities

KRASNOYARSK, July 21 (Itar-Tass) — A total of 160 forest fires are blazing on the area of over 19,000 hectares, the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz) told Itar-Tass on Saturday.

“The fires are blazing on the area of forestry fund. There is no threat to spreading the fire to settlements and economic facilities,” the agency said.

“The situation is more difficult in the Siberian, Ural and Far Eastern Federal Districts. A total of 19 wildfires embraced 6,647 hectares in the Chelyabinsk region. There are 29 fires on the area of about 3,000 hectares in Krasnoyarsk Territory. Two forest fires on the area of over 2,000 hectares are burning in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia),” Rosleskhoz reported.

In order to stabilize the situation the state of emergency has been established in the Tomsk region, Khararovsk Territory, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area. The entry is banned to forests in Primorye, Perm Territory and Trans-Baikal, the Tver, Tambov, Voronezh, Tyumen regions, the Republics of Komi, Altai and Mordovia.

Within inter-regional manoeuvring in Krasnoyarsk Territory at least 275 special are involved in fighting fires. At least 100 people work in the Tomsk region when 112 people are fighting fires in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area. “The key reason for forest fires is the weather and careless handling of fire,” Rosleskhoz said.