Russia fighting 222 massive wildfires

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Wildfires in east Russia have spread over a territory of over 1 million hectares, the Russian Federal Agency for Forestry said on Tuesday.

As of Tuesday, the firefighters are trying to extinguish 222 wildfires, the agency said, adding that about 5,000 people, 732 units of equipment, and 14 aircraft are engaged in firefighting.

The authorities announced an “emergency situation” in nine affected regions and a “special fire protection regime” in 62 regions, it added.

The agency asked people to report any case of wildfire and warned of action for setting fires.

Heavy smog from some of the worst wildfires to ever hit northern Siberia has blocked the sunlight and turned day into night, footage aired by local televisions showed.

The Yakutia region, Russia’s largest and coldest region, has for the past five months seen wildfires sweep through forests.

Authorities declared a state of emergency for the region, where over 1 million hectares of forestland have gone up in flames as efforts are still underway to put out the fires.