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Most forest fires extinguished in Siberia

NOVOSIBIRSK, May 22. /ITAR-TASS/. Firefighters have extinguished 52 forest fires on more than 44,400 hectares in Siberia over the past 24 hours.

On Thursday morning, 9,100 hectares were burning in Buryatia, the Trans-Baikal Territory, the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Irkutsk Region, the press service of the Siberian Federal District’s forestry department reported, adding that 467 firemen fought the blaze with the use of 78 fire engines and 19 aircraft.

The main causes of wildfires were carelessness of local residents and setting fire to burn out dry grass for farming purposes.

Since the beginning of the warm season, there have been 4,532 fires on a total of 657,000 hectares.

A special fire prevention regime was imposed in six districts in the Trans-Baikal Territory, one distinct in the Republic of Buryatia and the entire Altai Rapublic, the Kemerovo, Omsk and Irkutsk regions.

A state of emergency remains in force in the Trans-Baikal Territory, Buryatia, the Irkutsk Region, one area in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and one in the Novosibirsk Region.