First modification:
Authorities in the Krasnoyarsk region in eastern Siberia have declared a state of emergency due to the spread of fires that have already affected hundreds of buildings. A dozen people have died.
In the Krasnoyarsk region, in Eastern Siberia, numerous fires aggravated by strong winds are taking place, affecting hundreds of buildings and causing the death of at least ten people, as reported this Saturday, May 7, the authorities local.
In Krasnoyarsk, 500 buildings have been affected and at least five people have died, according to information provided by the authorities. At least 17 people were injured, ten of whom had to be hospitalized, according to the regional Ministry of Health. As a consequence, a state of emergency was declared.
In Kemerovo oblast, three people were found dead in a burned house, which is why an investigation has been opened. For its part, in the Omsk region two people died and eight were injured.
Warning for strong winds
“The extinguishing of fires is complicated by weather conditions: strong winds accelerate the spread of fires and make it impossible to put them out,” the Krasnoyarsk region’s Emergencies Ministry said.
Because of the wind, firefighting can only be done by land, without the use of aircraft.
After holding an emergency meeting in the afternoon, the governor of the region, Alexander Ouss, said in a statement that the fires had been caused by winds that reached 40 meters per second in some areas, compared to the 25 m/s expected. by weather forecasts.
The wind would have caused “trees, overlaps and power lines to fall”, as a result of which “fires broke out simultaneously in many areas of the Krasnoyarsk Territory”, according to the governor.
“We have asked our neighboring territories for help, but we are aware that, in the best of cases, it will only happen within a few hours,” Ouss added.
“I have given orders to cut off electricity to a part of the territory of the region, with the exception of life support facilities, gas stations and water supply systems,” the statement read.
An unusual phenomenon in the month of May
In the most affected areas, “temporary accommodation points will be opened and people will receive medical and psychological assistance.”
The meteorological institute “Rosguidromet” extended the forecast of strong winds to 20-25 m/s for tomorrow, and even up to 30 m/s in mountainous areas. But the risk of fire will gradually decrease due to cooling,” Roman Vilfand, director of the institute, told the TASS agency.
“These fires are rare in May. But it turns out there was no rainfall for a long time, there were fires, plus a strong wind.” The expert maintains that the fires were caused by man.
Unusual fires have been ravaging Siberia for several years.
In 2021, the fires, mostly in the east of the region, released 16 million tons of carbon, the fourth highest amount since measurements began in 2003, according to the annual report on the climate in Europe.
*With information from AFP, adapted from its French version.
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