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Natural disasters

Area of wildfires in Russia surpasses 1.5 mln hectares — Aerial Forest Protection Service

The firefighting effort involves 8,455 people and 1,501 units of various equipment, as well as 62 monitoring and 10 extinguishing aircraft

MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/. The total area of wildfires in Russia exceeded 1.5 million hectares, with Yakutia being the hardest-hit region, the press service of the Federal Aerial Forest Protection Services reported on Monday.

"Over the past day, firefighters in Russia extinguished 56 forest fires on the area of 3,429 hectares. As of 00:00 Moscow time on August 15, 2021, 175 forest fires were active on the area of 1,586,703 hectares in Russia, and were being actively extinguished," the statement said.

Fire engulfed 1,425,590 hectares of forests in Yakutia and 22,960 hectares in the Lenskiye Stolby Nature Reserve on the republic’s territory.

The firefighting effort involves 8,455 people and 1,501 units of various equipment, as well as 62 monitoring and 10 extinguishing aircraft.

The fire hazard season is underway in all Russian regions with the emergency situation regime declared in eight of them. A special fire prevention regime is in effect in 60 regions.

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Natural disasters

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