Wildfires raging in Russia’s Siberian republic of Yakutia prompted evacuation of children from a summer camp and approached the regional capital of Yakutsk on Wednesday, the local emergencies service said.
Almost 1,500 firefighters and rescuers are trying to tackle 21 wildfire hotspots on the territory of Yakutia. Some 1,000 hectares of forest have been affected by wildfires this year.
Hundreds of children were evacuated from a summer camp owned by the Children of Asia foundation. Fire raged only 11 km away from the Kachikatsy village in Yakutia, where the camp is located.
Another major forest fire, which broke out last week, is now only 60 km from Yakutsk.