The Hindu : Forest fires rage across Russia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 30, 2002

International

International

Forest fires rage across Russia

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW JULY 29. Hundreds of wildfires are raging throughout Russia, as a record heat wave has set in most parts of the country. Thousands of hectares of wild forests are consumed by fire every day in the Far East, Siberia and Central Russia.

Forests fires are an annual summertime scourge in Russia, but this year an exceptionally hot and dry weather has aggravated the situation.

The area affected by forest fires this year is approaching one million hectares, compared to 155,000 hectares last year, the RIA Novosti news agency was told at the press service of the "National Resources'' agency.

The incidence of fires is the worst in 30 years. The situation is especially critical in Yakutia and the Far East, where 108 and 83 major forest fires are raging respectively.

In some parts of Siberia whole villages have been gutted by fire. Russian television showed pictures of Nizhny Novgorod, a two-million city on the Volga River, covered by smoke from nearby forest fires.

In Moscow itself one can occasionally smell smoke from peat fires near the Russian capital.

Fire-fighters are working round the clock, aided by army men and volunteers, but the most they can do is keep off the fire from houses. ``Rain alone can douse the fire,'' a fire-fighter told the private NTV television. However, meteorogists predict at least one more week of dry hot weather across most of Russia.

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