Russia has declared a state of emergency in eastern Siberia, as fire fighters struggle to extinguish a series of sweeping wildfires. For several days, local emergency services in Buryatia have been fighting to contain several forest fires that started last week.
The mountainous region is located on the eastern side of Lake Baikal, the world’s largest fresh-water lake. Images posted to social media channels show fire fighters struggling to douse flames and shrouded in thick smoke. Regional officials say more than 90% of the fires were caused by careless human behaviour.
As of Tuesday morning, 22 fires were reported burning in the region, covering an area of over 53,000 hectares.
However, no urban settlement is currently in danger of being overun by the wildfires – although the situation could change for the worse.
The public was instructed to comply with restrictions, including to avoid going into the forests.
Authorities warned people that violation of fire safety rules may result in administrative or criminal liability.
This is not the first time the region has been affected by a natural disaster that has made the headlines.
Last August, a state of emergency was declared in the wake of severe floods that damaged roads and bridges.
It comes amid reports of another forest fire in the Amur region, which is spreading along the highway from Blagoveshchensk to Svobodny.
Spectacular images of the forest inferno shot by passing motorists show giant flames rising into the night’s sky.
The Amur region is located in Russia’s far east, and borders China’s Heilongjiang province to the south.
The most intense fires were reported in the area of the village of Moskvitino.
Earlier, the Amur Region Emergencies Ministry reported the introduction of a special fire-fighting regime.
Over the past 24 hours, fire and rescue teams have been called out to extinguish fires 45 times, and the total area of fires is more than 3.000 hectares.