Wildfires Raging In Siberia

An image released by the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry on August 12 shows a helicopter dropping water onto a forest fire in the Baikal lake area in Irkutsk.

Wildfires sweeping through Siberia, have intensified as thousands of emergency workers attempted to extinguish the fires.

More than 150 fires raged through 1,400 square kilometers of land on August 12, the majority of them in southern Siberia, according to Russia’s federal forest agency.

The most affected regions are the Republic of Buryatia and the neighboring Irkutsk region.

Local reports say that areas of Lake Baikal, which is located between the two regions, are covered in thick smoke.

Authorities said that the current wildfires have not yet affected inhabited areas.

In April at least 34 people died in southern Siberia and hundreds of others were made homeless because of wildfires.

Based on reporting by AFP and Interfax