Forest fires have burned 3.5 million hectares in Russia since the start of the year, already one and a half times more than last year.
Nearly 6,000 forest fire hotspots have been recorded across the country, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported. Over 500 forest fire hotspots are currently active across more than 1 million hectares, with only 62, or 12%, localized. Fifteen hotspots are active near populated areas, about 6,000 people are involved in firefighting efforts, equating to one person per hotspot. According to the Ministry, the situation remains dangerous due to dry and hot weather, with Yakutia and Zabaykalsky Krai being the worst affected areas.
Siberia.Realii reported that the residents of the Kalar District are forced to extinguish the approaching fire themselves. On July 9, Deputy Prime Minister of the Zabaykalsky Krai government Nikolai Zakharov reported over 100 fires covering an area of 400,000 hectares.
In Yakutia, the forest area destroyed by fire exceeded 500,000 hectares as of July 10, growing by more than 100,000 hectares in a day (from 393,800 hectares on the morning of July 9). Forest fires have spread across Russia since early May, prompting emergency regimes in Tuva, Khabarovsk Krai, Zabaykalsky Krai, and Buryatia.
A number of wildfires have developed within the Arctic Circle through June, with most activity currently located in Russia’s Sakha Republic, which suffered from some devastating wildfires in 2021. According to data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), June wildfire carbon emissions for the Arctic are already the third highest for the month in the last two decades.
