Wildfires in Siberia Consume over 1 Mln Hectares

Massive wildfires in Siberia have ravaged over one million hectares in the Sakha region, authorities reported yesterday.

Currently, more than 130 scattered fires are burning in the area, with around 2,000 personnel engaged in firefighting efforts on the ground and from the air, according to the Ministry of Civil Defense in the capital, Yakutsk.

The ministry released a video showing a firefighting plane dropping tons of water over the raging forests.

The Ministry of Civil Defense's report highlighted that 52 local areas struggle with smoke from the fires. Air samples were taken, revealing that pollution limits were exceeded in two cities and two villages.

Due to the wildfires, a state of emergency has been in place in the northeastern region of Russia for weeks, and the fires continue to burn in several other areas.

The extensive wildfires in the Arctic region have led to significant smoke development over the past few weeks, engulfing many cities in thick smoke.

Each year, Russia battles wildfires that destroy vast areas of forest. The European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service attributes the widespread wildfires in the Russian Republic of Sakha to significantly higher temperatures and lower-than-usual rainfall levels in the region.

Copernicus data indicates that temperatures in the affected areas are up to 7 degrees Celsius higher than the long-term average from 1991 to 2020, coupled with severe drought conditions.