MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. The number of fires in Russia has decreased by 30% compared to last year, while their area has grown 1.5 times, Russian Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov said at a meeting led by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Since the beginning of the year, almost 6,000 centers of natural fires with a total area of more than 3.5 million hectares have been recorded in Russia. Although there is a 30% decrease in their number compared to last year's figures. The area covered by fire, on the contrary, has increased by 1.5 times," he said.
According to the Aerial Forest Fire Center, there are currently over 500 forest fire hotspots across Russia on an area of more than one million hectares. Only 62 of them have been localized, which is only 12% "Fifteen hotbeds of forest fires are active near inhabited areas," the minister said.