RASNOYARSK, May 16 (Itar-Tass) —— The total area of forest fires in Siberia decreased by ten times over the past 24 hours, the press service of the Siberian Regional Centre of the Russian Emergencies Ministry told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

According to the press service, 142 fires were raging in an area of 5,768.8 hectares as of Wednesday morning. Besides, fifty-five of them on a total territory of 3,149 hectares have been localised, the press service said.

The sharp decline of the areas under wildfires was mainly caused by the fact that the Trans-Baikal Territory fully put out all its woodland fires. Now, the Republic of Buryatia is the leader in terms of fires. The republic reported 15 forest fires in an area of 2,590.8 hectares, five of which are raging on the territory of 1,940 hectares, the press service said.

The situation in the Krasnoyarsk territory is getting worse. Early in the day, the region reported 71 wildfires, which embraced 1,223.7 hectares. Nine woodland fires spread to the area of 988 hectares in the Republic of Tyva, two of those fires burnt at least 760 hectares, the press service of the regional centre said.

In addition, wildfires embraced forests in the Irkutsk and Tomsk regions, as well as in the republics of Khakassia and Altai, the press service said.

The Emergencies Ministry’s regional centre does not rule out the appearance of new fires in Siberia even in the zones with low and medium class of fire danger, because of negligence of the local population, which causes fires in 87 percent of all cases.

Touching upon the regions with the high class of fire danger, wherefrom fire may spread to populated centres to inflict heavy damage to them, the press centre of the Emergencies Ministry’s Siberian regional centre mentioned such regions as Kemerovo, Omsk, Tomsk and Novosibirsk region, the Altai and Krasnoyarsk territories, as well as the Republics of Altai, Buryatia and Tyva.