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Russian firefighters extinguish wildfires engulfing 332,000 hectares

The highest number of fires was recorded in the Sakha (Yakutia) Region

MOSCOW, August 27. /TASS/. Firefighters extinguished wildfires in Russia’s regions encompassing an area of almost 332,000 hectares in the past 24 hours, work to extinguish the blazes that engulfed almost 303,000 hectares is in progress, the Aerial Forest Protection Service said on Friday.

"According to regional forestry departments, 115 wildfires engulfing 331,938 hectares were extinguished in Russia in the past 24 hours. As of 00:00 Moscow time on August 27, 2021, 147 forest fires were raging on a total area of 302,671 hectares. Work to extinguish them is in progress," the report said.

The highest number of fires was recorded in the Sakha (Yakutia) Region, where 23 blazes encompassing an area of 233,464 hectares are raging. Eleven wildfires engulfing 36,642 hectares are raging in the Irkutsk Region and 49 in the Sverdlovsk Region (7,298 hectares). Wildfires are also raging in the Magadan, the Kurgan and the Bashkortostan regions and other territorial entities.

As many as 9,452 people, as well as 2,096 pieces of equipment and 33 aircraft are involved in firefighting efforts. Another 61 planes are monitoring the situation.

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