A monstrous fire destroys the largest forest on Earth

[[MC]Ronin[MC]]

A series of huge fires swept the eastern region of Siberia in Russia.

The fire, which broke out a few weeks ago, has already spread over an area of about 30,000 square kilometers, according to the Russian Federal Forestry Agency.

Burns the largest forest on Earth - the Siberian taiga. Last Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the army to become involved in efforts to stem the fiery disaster.

 

So far, the Russian Air Force has extinguished the fire at an area of 7 530 square kilometers. pouring over 8,300 tonnes of water over fires.

Following decisive but delayed action against the disaster, Russian authorities have been accused of trying to cover up the scale of the problem in public space.

NGOs, including Greenpeace, described the incident as an "environmental disaster".

Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations Alexander Chuprian, who arrived Sunday in the Irkutsk region to coordinate fire fighting operations, said there were "hundreds of smoke-affected people". This is the most critical position of the authorities so far.

Earlier, though, a state of emergency was declared in five regions of Siberia, where more than 10,000 square kilometers had already been burned. taiga, the Russian Federal Forestry Agency said the disaster did not pose "a threat to human settlements and economic facilities."

The governor of Krasnoyarsk has gone even further, saying it would be "pointless" and "perhaps even dangerous" to deploy thousands of people to help extinguish the flames.

"The fact is that this is a common natural phenomenon that is pointless to fight, and to some extent, perhaps dangerous," said Alexander Us.

The smoke from the fires literally covers the sun over a vast area, extending even to neighboring Mongolia. Thousands of Russians have complained on social networks about smoking. Currently, over 1 million people have signed a petition calling for a state of emergency throughout Siberia.

"Imagine what's happening in the center of a disaster when trees and animals burn alive," the petition reads.

And the slow response from authorities who let the fires out of control has caused discontent in many cities in the disaster area.

Space photo of burning Russian taiga.