Over 18,000 hectares of forests on fire in Siberia
14:29, 15 April 2012
NOVOSIBIRSK. April 15. KAZINFORM Over 900 hectares of forests are on fire in Siberia, the Emergencies Ministry's regional center reported on Sunday.
"Seventy hot spots of forest fires at an area of 18,687 hectares (46,177 acres) are active. Twenty four of them at an area of 9,307 hectares have been contained," the center said.
Wildfires across Russia are common, especially during dry and hot summers and in the fall. Most fires start because of the careless behavior of local residents, RIA Novosti reports.
Two years ago forest fires devastated a number of regions in central Russia , killing over 60 people and leaving thousands homeless.
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