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Russian defense ministry’s aircraft to be used to extinguish wildfires in Yakutia

At the moment, there are 92 forest fires in 16 districts of Yakutia

© Russian Aerial Forest Protection Service/TASS

YAKUTSK, July 20. /TASS/. Russian defense ministry’s aircraft will be involved in firefighting operations to put out wildfires in three districts of the Russian Siberian republic of Yakutia, the republic’s first deputy prime minister, Dmitry Sadovnikov, said on Tuesday.

"Three helicopters of the Russian defense ministry will work in the Nyurbinsky, Lensky, and Suntarsky districts," he said.

Yakutia’s environment protection ministry said earlier in the day that wildfires were raging less than five kilometers of the villages of Yert, Dikimdya, and Magaras. Apart from that, wildfires were reported less than ten kilometers from three more villages in the same district.

According to the ministry, firefighters are putting out 92 forest fires in 16 districts of Yakutia. Five of them have been localized.

Yakutia is one of Russia’s most fire hazard regions, with 83.4% of its territory covered by forests (265.1 million hectares). In 2020, wildfires consumed an area of more than six million hectares. An emergency situation regime has been in force in the republic since July 1.

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