Firefighters are battling 11 wildfires on an area of over 32 hectares in the Russian Far East, the press office of the Emergencies Ministry said on Sunday.
“Satellite monitoring and aircraft surveillance registered a total of 17 forest fires in the Far East on Saturday, of which six wildfires have been extinguished in the past twenty-four hours,” the press office said.
About 200 people and 26 units of mechanized rescue equipment, including 14 aircraft, are involved in the firefighting effort, the press office said.
Russia is trying to prevent the developments of last summer, when an enormous heat wave in the country’s European part caused massive wildfires, which killed 62 people and left thousands homeless.
Wildfires in forested regions of Russia are common during the dry and hot summer season. Most of the time, the fires start because of the careless behavior of local residents in the woods.