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Far East sees 30-fold surge in wildfires in one month

Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev ordered to activate means over to the deterioration of the situation, as well as carry out drills, preventive operations and provide safety in communities

© Yuri Smityuk/TASS

MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. The number of wildfire zones in several Far Eastern regions saw a 30-fold surge in the past month, Acting Deputy Emergencies Minister Viktor Yatsutsenko said at a teleconference in the Emergencies Ministry on Monday.
"A rise in the number of hotspots in the Khabarovsk, Primorsky and Trans-Baikal Regions was registered. The total area is more than 600 hectares, with no threat to communities and economic facilities. The number of wildfire hotspots and their sizes reportedly saw a 30-fold surge," he said.

In light of this, Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev issued orders to brace for a deterioration of the situation, carry out drills, preventive measures and provide safety for the communities. "A special fire safety regime was declared in some regions of the Far Eastern Federal District," the minister reiterated.

"Local fire stations (more than 200 posts), which have more than 200 various equipment units, were activated to protect communities from wildfires," Director of the Department for Readiness and Special Fire Protection of the Emergencies Ministry Maxim Maximenko reported.

Andrei Popov, acting head of the Department for Aviation and Aviation-Rescue Technologies of the Emergencies Ministry, said that 15 planes and 53 helicopters may be deployed from the federal districts to extinguish the wildfires. "The state defense procurement program to 2025 stipulates the purchase of another seven Mi-8 helicopters," he added.

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