Forest fires tear through Siberia, Russia Far East
Date: 14-May-02
Country: RUSSIA
Authorities in several provinces declared a state of emergency as firefighters, paratroopers and civilians battled fires burning across more than 54,000 hectares (135,000 acres), an official at the Far East regional Emergencies Ministry said.
"The toughest situation is in the Amur region, where forest over an area of 44,263 hectares is burning, in Khabarovsk 7,736 hectares are affected, in Sakhalin 1,422 hectares, in Primorye 983 hectares," said duty officer Alexander Zhuravlyev.
As well as an important logging region, the Russian Far East is also the only place where the Amur tigers and leopards - both endangered species - are found.
Forest fires are a major threat to the big cats, as is illegal logging, both eating away at their limited habitat. There are around 350 tigers and 40 leopards in the Far East whose existence is mainly threatened by poachers.
Forest fires are a common summer phenomenon in the heavily forested regions, caused by warm, dry weather, high winds and careless picnickers. Regional authorities have made televised appeals to the local population to take care when daytripping in forested areas.
Zhuravlyev said a total of 161 separate fire sources had been pinpointed across the Far East and nearly 1,700 people were working to tame them.
Itar-Tass news agency quoted meteorologists in the Far East as saying rain was not expected over the next few days.
Interfax news agency reported that in the Irkutsk region of Siberia fires were raging over around 17,300 hectares.
The ministry also said it was limiting public access to forests, setting up police posts at popular picnic spots.
