Russian Forest Fires Raging Out of Control
8/22/99
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Title: Russian Forest Fires Raging Out of Control
Source: Environment News Service
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: August 5, 1999
MOSCOW, Russia, August 4, 1999 (ENS) - Ninety-one large fires are
blazing in the Russian Federation right now, and incidence of fires is
way up compared with last year. The most dangerous situation remains
in the Central, North-Western Siberian and Far-Eastern regions of the
Russian Federation.
The Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies
and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters (EMERCOM of
Russia) says that 839 fire spots have been registered compared with
157 at this time in 1998.
Fire rips through a forest in the Russian Far East (Photo courtesy
EMERCOM of Russia)
As of July 26, 157 new fire sources were detected compared with 37
fires during the same period last year.
The area damaged by fires so far this year is 586,153 hectares (2,262
square miles).
The total area affected during the whole fire period in 1998 was
801,018 hectares (3,091 square miles).
EMERCOM of Russia, together with the Federal Forest Service, Ministry
of Defence and Ministry of Interior, are fighting forest fires on a
daily basis. The Russian authorities have managed to localize fires,
and avoid their spreading to human settlements. Air support is being
provided, with 95 aircraft from the Federal Forest Service fighting
against forest fires and conducting air reconnaissance. EMERCOM of
Russia is using Ilyushin-76 water bombing airplanes.
Russian weather specialists are forecasting an increasing number of
forest fires in the near future. EMERCOM indicates that it is
necessary to urgently increase means and facilities of relevant
national bodies, to cope with this emergency.
Many fire fighting units are not sufficiently equipped, they lack the
basic mechanisms and devices, such as fire engines, knapsack fire-
extinguishers, bog tractors and telecommunication equipment.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs, through its Joint Environment Unit and Europe/NIS Desk, is
closely cooperating with EMERCOM of Russia in dealing with this
disaster and in preventing further deterioration of the situation.