Forest fires continue to rage in Irkutsk region. On Sunday, August 30, 20 fires are active in Irkutsk, Kachug, and Olkhon districts. In the past day, 6 fires were extinguished, and a Mi 8 helicopter, Be 200ChS and Il 76 planes dropped over 420 tons of fire suppressant. Experts say most fires are caused by people, and dozens of criminal cases have been opened.
Forest fires continue to rage. According to the regional Forest Fire Center, as of Sunday, August 30, 20 fires are active in the Irkutsk, Kachug, and Olkhon districts. Over the past day, specialists from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, forest protection services, and volunteers extinguished 6 fires covering an area of 2,578 hectares; on Friday, August 28, 3 forest fires covering 1,937 hectares were eliminated.As reported by the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Irkutsk Region, a Mi-8 helicopter transported 20 air firefighting personnel and delivered 3 tons of cargo to the most difficult areas. Be-200ChS and Il-76 aircraft were involved in extinguishing natural fires in the Olkhon district, carrying out a total of 36 drops of more than 420 tons of fire suppressant. The total flight time across the Irkutsk Region amounted to 15 hours 50 minutes.
According to specialists, most fires are caused by human activity. Firefighters and police officers are constantly making inspection visits. Since the beginning of 2015, 83 criminal cases have been opened in connection with fires, and 248 materials from pre-investigation checks are currently under review.