Forest fires have spread again in Russia after the end of winter and are already threatening the first localities in Siberia.
"At 10 pm (1500 GMT), the forest fire in the Minusinsk district was contained over an area of 500 hectares," a disaster management agency statement said on Monday. Helicopters and Be-200 fire-fighting aircraft were also deployed to fight the forest fires, the agency said.
A total of 12 forest fires are currently raging in the south of the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk. The Minusinsk district is particularly affected. A state of emergency has been declared there.
The fire-fighting efforts are being hampered by strong winds. In the meantime, a long-distance road had to be closed.
The authorities prepared the evacuation of the villages of Snamenka and Lugavskoye, but gave the all-clear in the evening after the spread of the fire could be stopped.
Huge forest fires occur again and again in Siberia. Last year, a record-breaking 18.2 million hectares of forest and steppe were burnt.
In the past, soldiers were often deployed to fight the fires: However, they are currently tied up in the war against Ukraine.
