More Than 180 Wildfires Burning in Siberia
Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 2:41 am
This image taken from video provided by Russian Emergency Ministry, shows a view of a forest fire from a Russian Emergency Ministry multipurpose amphibious aircraft in the Trans-Baikal National Park in Buryatia, southern Siberia, Russia, July 9, 2020.
Wildfires continue to burn in parts of Siberia this summer as a heatwave has continued to spread in areas north of the Arctic Circle.
The World Metrological Organization (WMO) has raised the alarm, saying official figures show record warming in the Arctic.
"In general, the Arctic is heating more than twice the global average,” said Clare Nullis, WMO spokesperson. “It's having a big impact on local populations and ecosystems, but we always say that what happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic, it does affect our weather in different parts of the world where hundreds of millions of people live."
More than 180 fires are burning in the Siberian region, with many in the northern Sakha Republic, on the Arctic Ocean.
"Some parts of Siberia this week have again topped 30 degrees Celsius -- so it's been warmer in Siberia than many parts of Florida,” said Nullis.
The wildfires are having effects far beyond the Arctic region, the WMO said.
Firefighters are working to stop the fires.