A prolonged heatwave in Siberia is “undoubtedly alarming”, climate scientists have said. The freak temperatures have been linked to wildfires, a huge oil spill and a plague of tree-eating moths.
Ecologist fears the Macleay River may take decades to recover, with heavy rains likely to affect other waterways
Deadly blaze that killed four people and forced evacuation of 10 villages is now close to being under control
Local charities call for donations after blaze wrecks 500 homes in Alexandra
Authorities in Siberia’s republic of Tyva declared a regional state of emergency due to ongoing wildfires exacerbated by prolonged hot and dry weather.
Photos of Yugorsk and other cities showed residential buildings fuzzy under a blanket of white smog.
Wildfires in Russia have burned across a combined area the size of Greece so far in 2020, surpassing official estimates threefold. Experts warn that this year’s blazes could become the most destructive in history.
The Kostanai Region declared a state of emergency on Sept. 4 after forest fires burned a record 43,000 hectares (the size of Сarribean Barbados island) and forced an evacuation of 1,841 people.
The fires affecting Moscow are concentrated in the Ryazan region, some 250 kilometers to the south. This is not the first time smog has appeared in Moscow in recent months, with local authorities advising residents to wear masks to protect themselves earlier this month.
Residents fled toward the waterside as winds pushed an emergency-level wildfire towards their homes. The town was shrouded in darkness from the smoke before turning an unnerving shade of bright red.
Russian weather officials and environmentalists have said climate change is a major factor behind the increase in fires.
Officials say a wildfire in Southwest Washington that ballooned Sunday, causing regional air quality issues, may have been started by a firework or firearm.
Gallery | The forest fires have covered an area larger than Greece and are emitting black smog that harms nearby populations.
The driest summer in 150 years has turned Yakutia into a tinderbox and seen wildfires tear through the region.
Sakha is now the fourth region in the Far East where a state of emergency is currently in place due to wildfires. The other three are the Zabaykalsky and Amur regions, as well as the republic of Buryatia. Russia’s wildfire season officially began in early March. By mid-April, regions in the Far East recorded nearly twice as many fires as they had during the same period last year, with most blazes caused by human negligence.
Gallery | The fires, which were swept in from Mongolia by high winds, have caused almost $9.4 million in damage.
Russia's Aerial Forest Protection Service is trying to suppress 136 fires over 43,000 hectares. Firefighters are using explosives to contain the fires and seeding clouds with silver iodide to encourage rain.
Most of the blazes are in a region that saw possibly the hottest-ever temperature above the Arctic Circle this month.
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