Wildfires

Wildfires in Russia

According to analysis of recent satellite data, forest fires in eastern Russia currently cover more than 3.5 million hectares of forested land. An area larger than Belgium! And the fire season in Russia isn't over yet.

This year's forest fires are close to becoming one of the most devastating in recent Russian history. Usually around 5 to 6 million hectares of forest burn in a year. Russian meteorologists say that this summer in Russia will be warm and dry – weather fire fighters hate.

Russia is warming faster than the rest of the planet. According to a new report by Russia's climate and environment agency, between 1976 and 2012 average temperatures in Russia rose 0.43°C (0.8°F) a decade – more than twice the global average of 0.17°C.

Extremely dry weather in Siberia is one of the impacts of climate change according to natural reserve rangers in Zapovednoye Podlemorye on lake Baikal. Wildfires release massive amounts of carbon which causes climate change which makes the fires worse. It's a terrible cycle.

As a result, we face forest fires in one of the largest forested region in the world – the Russian Boreal forest. It's also one of the most 'biologically outstanding' places in the world, home to a range of species – from wolves and brown bears to golden eagles and siberian accentors. These species suffered when a forest fire almost entirely engulfed the natural reserve in Baikal three days ago.

Wildfires - India

Forest fires this year destroyed or affected 11,774 hectares, including 6,856 hectares natural forest and 1,715 hectare plantations in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.

Forests continue to be plundered by forest mafia and fire mongers who torch forests, mainly in the chir pine belt of Nahan, Solan, Mandi, Hamirpur, Shimla Dharamsala, for extracting resin as they believe trees yield more resin when on fire.

In the higher deodar and kail pine belt, fire mongers torch forests in the belief that the forest and ‘ghasnis yield more grass and fodder for the livestock. Even the forest mafia torch forests to destroy evidence of the stumps of the trees felled illicitly.

Wildfires in Israel/West Bank

Seven firefighting crews are working to put out a large wildfire burning in the Karnei Shomron area. The fire broke out on "Moshe Zar Hill" which is located between the settlements of Karnei Shomron and Ramat Gilad in the West Bank.