Wildfires Ravage Russian Forests
Copyright 2001 Associated Press
October 3, 2001
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia - Forest fires have scorched more than 120,000 acres in a tinder-dry region of Russia's Far East, where tens of thousands of people are struggling to cope with thick clouds of smoke and soot.
Wildfires have spread quickly in the Khabarovsk region since they were first reported Monday, and about 35 blazes were burning Wednesday. One fire was about 60 miles from Khabarovsk, the regional capital and its largest city, with more than 600,000 residents.
Regional emergency workers lack the resources to effectively fight the fires, said Yelena Syshcheva, a spokeswoman for the Natural Resources Ministry in Khabarovsk, 3,800 miles east of Moscow near the Pacific coast. She said the ministry has one plane and two helicopters.
Many people who ventured outdoors covered their mouths with wet handkerchiefs and improvised gauze respirators to filter out the ash-filled air. Residents also hung wet sheets up around apartments and placed tubs of water in their homes to absorb the smoke.
"I can't sleep at night - it's so smoky," said Yevgeny Anoshin, a journalist in Khabarovsk. "I've got a tub in the middle of my place, but it doesn't help much."
Health officials warned the smoke could cause serious health problems, particularly for pregnant women and the elderly. Carbon dioxide levels around Khabarovsk were five times higher than what is considered safe.
A shift in the wind took some of the sooty bite out of the air on Wednesday, but the situation remained serious, Syshcheva said.
Officials believe the fires were sparked by farmers setting fire to dry grasses, or by campers.