Russia has already been hit this year by a historic wildfire catastrophe that has burned a record 600,000 hectares of forest. Officials in the Siberian region of Buryatia have sounded emergency alarms as flames continue to burn uncontrollably. The West Atlantic region of Vancouver Island was the first in British Columbia to declare a state of emergency on Tuesday. Fierce flames and thick, choking smoke now imperil the health and safety of all affected residents.
Since mid-March, Buryatia has been unable to get a handle on 174 active forest fires. As of this week, 22 of those fires are currently still smoking. In response, local officials have shut down all access to the forests, hoping to stave off any more mishaps. Climate change, aggravated by human activity, is the main driver of these wildfires. Even more shocking is that 90% of the fires are caused by human negligence. The Russian heatwave was exacerbated by climate change, which has made the weather hotter and drier. These conditions today form an extreme tinderbox, where even the smallest sparks can lead to catastrophic infernos.
The crisis extends far beyond Buryatia. Photo by Ilia Zimin on Unsplash Over 2,100 valid forest fires have been recorded this year across Russia, engulfing more than 1.4 million hectares of land. The wildfire season started much earlier than normal, with fires starting as early as mid-March. This early onset has stretched firefighting resources and sent panic rippling through affected states and beyond.
For firefighting, as of August 23rd, over 530 Buryatia personnel have been brought in to carry out extensive flame-retardant measures. Still, even with these protections, smoke from the wildfires has already spread hundreds of miles away. Forecasts have it on track to reach Beijing and the Korean Peninsula by the weekend. This swift reversal endangers vulnerable populations, exacerbating health risks in communities already facing the greater burden of air pollution.
In light of the ongoing situation, states of emergency have been declared across several far eastern Siberian regions since April. As officials still try to understand the scope of the constantly-shifting disaster, they work to limit the damage caused by it. This rapid response of local municipalities and governments is intended to safeguard local communities and save all the remaining forested areas that are still in place from further decimation.
