Forest fires: Russia hopes for rain

«Large areas in Yakutia have already been hit by fires. Only rain helps here, ”said fire protection expert Grigori Kuksin from the environmental organization Greenpeace in Russia on Tuesday to the Interfax agency. It is unlikely that the situation in the particularly affected Siberian region of Yakutia (Republic of Sakha) will improve before mid-August. This is where most of the forest fires are currently raging in the largest country in the world in terms of area.

According to the regional authorities, the fire brigade in Yakutia counts 205 fires. According to data from the Fort Protection Authority on Tuesday, the fire area on which the fire is being extinguished is around 680,000 hectares, slightly smaller than the day before. That corresponds to about half of the area of ​​Schleswig-Holstein. 2100 firefighters are in action. They want to prevent the flames from spreading to villages.