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About 120 forest fires are raging in Russia

Тhe largest of them are registered in the Republic of Sakha

MOSCOW, June 24 (Itar-Tass) - About 120 wild fires are raging in woodlands across Russia, the largest of them are registered in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), an official at the Federal Forestry Agency told Itar-Tass on Monday.

“According to the agency, 120 forest fires embraced a territory of more than 68,500 hectares in Russia as of small hours on Monday,” the official said, adding, “The largest fires were registered in the Republic of Sakha [Yakutia], the Krasnoyarsk and Kamchatka territories, as well as in the Republic of Buryatia.”

In Yakutia, 33 woodland fires are spreading to a territory of more than 59,600 hectares, the federal agency’s representative said, adding that 13 of them are large and they embraced an area of more than 43,000 hectares.

In his words, 250 paratroopers of the Aerial Forest Protection Service were mobilised for the fire-fighting operations in the republic.

“The most complicated situation is emerging in the Sangarskoye, Suntarskoye, Nyurbinskoye and Mirninskoye forestry divisions. Specialists of the Aerial Forest Protection Service were involved in the putting out of large and complex woodland fires of the aforesaid districts,” the Federal Forestry Agency’s official said, adding that 250 paratroopers of the Aerial Forest Protection Service were mobilised to the operations.

In addition, 49 forest fires area raging on the total area of more than 6,500 hectares in the Krasnoyarsk territory, including four large fires, which embraced an area of more than 4,000 hectares. The Irkutsk region reported about ten forest fires, which spread to the area of more than one hectare, the official said.

One wild fire on an area of 670 hectares was registered in the Kamchatka territory’s woodland. Besides, nine forest fires area raging in a territory of 212 hectares in the Republic of Buryatia.