Wildfires have scorched more than 3.2 thousand hectares of forest in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Krai and Irkutsk Oblast, where authorities are currently suppressing 29 active fires. As on July 18, Krasnoyarsk is battling 23 wildfires across 2.6 thousand hectares, while Irkutsk is managing 6 fires covering 679 hectares, 4 of which have been contained, according to the data from the Russian Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz).
Roughly 750 personnel are involved in firefighting efforts across the two regions. Support includes over 100 airborne firefighters from the Federal Aerial Forest Protection Service. Rosleskhoz stated that high temperatures and lack of rainfall are worsening the wildfire situation and that conditions now justify declaring an interregional state of emergency to speed up response and expand firefighting resources.
