Forest fires in Yakutia

Seventeen new forest fires have broken out in the republic of Sakha /Yakutia/ over the past 24 hours, the Far Eastern Forest Protection Aviation Base reported on Tuesday.

As of today, 63 fires are burning on the territory of the republic, which is famous for its diamonds. Some of the fires are raging on the territory of a local nature reserve. "The fires keep getting bigger and bigger," said a source in the forest protection base. "Fire has swept across an aggregate space of 15,000 hectares over the past 24 hours only." In all since the beginning of the fire-hazardous season in May, the republic has registered 765 forest fires.