Wildfires blaze in Russia's Siberia

  • 12/08/2015
(iStock)
(iStock)

More than 5000 Russian emergency workers are battling to put out wildfires raging across forests in Siberia.

Over 1250 square kilometres of woodland are ablaze in at least six eastern regions, Russia's federal forestry agency said on Tuesday (local time).

The republic of Buryatia, which borders Mongolia and the eastern shore of Lake Baikal, is fighting to extinguish 60 blazes raging through 717 square kilometres of land, the agency said.

Wildfires are a common occurrence in Russia each summer because of the burning of dry grass, and can claim lives and damage property.

The current wildfires have not yet affected inhabited areas, according to authorities.

In April, at least 34 people died in southern Siberia as a result of wildfires. Hundreds of others were rendered homeless.

Investigators at the time launched probes into the deadly fires to determine whether they could have been caused by negligence.

AFP