Russia in for early fire season
Ministry forecasts early fire-prone seasonin Russian forests
4 April 2007
published by www.itar-tass.com
Russia — The Russian Emergencies Ministry forecasts an early fire-prone season in Russian forests
The Russian Emergencies Ministry forecasts an early fire-prone season in Russian forests. In particular, little snow and early spring flood may prompt this fire-prone season, the information department of the Emergencies Ministry told Itar-Tass.
Little snow and an early spring flood on the European part of Russia create conditions for an early fire-prone season and highly probable peat bog fires in Central Russia and in the south of north-western Russia, the information department said.
Little snow preconditions an intensive beginning of the fire-prone season in southern Russia and in the greater part of the Far East, the information department pointed out.
According to forecasts of the Emergencies Ministry, the number of forest fires and their area are expected to grow in the Urals and North-western Federal Districts as compared with 2006. On the remaining part of Russia similar indicators will not exceed the previous years figures, the information department indicated.
Meanwhile, growing expenses for the firefighting efforts are forecast in the Far East, Urals, North-western and Central Federal Districts in 2007.
Most expenses for the firefighting efforts fall on Siberia, the Far East, north-western Russia and the Urals in 2006. The human factor remains among the major causes of fires in the forests.
On Monday, the fire from the burning dry grass spread on the village of Zavad, Sasovsky district of the Ryazan region. Twelve abandoned countryside houses have burnt down in the fire. Luckily, no casualties sustained.
