Wildfires have destroyed 437 hectares of firs and pine trees in five areas in Russia’s Far East over the past 24 hours, local forestry department reported Tuesday.
Magadan area suffered the most, with 423 hectares of taiga caught in raging flames, it said, adding that wildfires were also reported in Yakutsk, Amur, Khabarovsk, and Kamchatka.
“A total of 102 people, 10 pieces of equipment and six aircraft were involved in the firefighting efforts. However, four of eight fires are still burning in Magadan, Kamchatka and Khabarovsk areas,” the forest department said.
The Far East region has witnessed 901 forest fires so far this year, and some 470 hectares of land were affected, with both figures significantly up compared with the same period last year, reports XINHUA VLADIVOSTOK, Russia.
