Fresh wave of woodland fires hits Russia Irkutsk region
The third since early April wave of woodland fires has hit Russia’s Siberian Irkutsk region, sources from the regional department of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations told Tass on Friday.
A total of 52 fires, covering the area of 550 hectares, are registered in the region, they said.
Eleven forest fires were put out over the past 24 hours, but new fires have emerged. Most of them are less then ten kilometres away from local settlements, and local residents are mostly to blame.
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A fire emergency was declared in the region on May 16. Access to taiga and economic activity in the forest zones have been restricted.
