NOVOSIBIRSK, September 01. /ITAR-TASS/. The area of forest fires in Siberia has grown by more than 5,000 hectares over the past three days, affecting 23,400 hectares. As of Monday morning, 41 fires have been recorded in three regions of the Siberian Federal District, with 38 of them raging in the Tuva Republic, according to an official at the District's Forestry Department.

Over the past 24 hours, eight forest fires were eliminated on an area of 681 hectares. The firefighting efforts involved 467 forest protection specialists and landing firemen, 30 fire-trucks, and seven air vehicles.

The local population's negligence in handling fire, and thunderstorms were the main causes of the fires. In all, 7,814 forest fires have been recorded in Siberia since the beginning of the fire-hazard season on an area of 1.730 million hectares. Special fire prevention regulations have been introduced in one district of Tuva Republic, in two districts of Zabaikalye (Trans-Baikal) Territory, and the Republic of Buryatia, as well as throughout the Altai Republic and Irkutsk Region.