Heat and drought spark forest fires in Russia

A total of 948 wildfires over an area of 26,000 hectares were detected in Russia last week, the Emergencies Ministry reported. A 20-hectare blaze was spotted on June 27 at 2:05 p.m. in the Kuyarsky forestry in the Medvedevsky district, the Republic of Mari El. Photo: A forest fire in the Republic of Mari El.

The area of forests affected by wild fires in the republic has totaled 1,200 hectares due to dry weather, high temperatures reaching 35°C, low humidity and strong winds. A creeping fire developed into a major blaze and is spreading to the northeast. Photo: A forest fire in the Republic of Mari El.

Some 2,000 people were evacuated from villages and children’s summer recreation camps in the surrounding areas, with the children sent home. Photo: A forest fire in the Republic of Mari El.

On June 29 at 5:10 p.m. Moscow time, the natural disaster relief management center of Mari El’s branch of the Russian Emergencies Ministry received a message from the local forestry service informing them of a creeping fire and a partial crown fire that were spreading in the Suslongersky military forestry in the Sovetsky district of the republic. Photo: A forest fire in the Republic of Mari El.

Fire fighting crews spent two days battling a forest fire in the Rostov Region.

The fire started on June 27 one kilometer away from the village of Veshenskaya.

The flame was fueled by the extreme temperature of 36°C and a strong wind with a speed of up to 27 meters per second. Photo: Rescue workers and fire fighters extinguishing a forest fire in the Sholokhov District, Rostov Region.

By the morning of June 28, the flame had devastated almost 100 hectares of land, by noon it had covered 170 hectares, and by 5 p.m. the blaze had torn through 700 hectares.