Firefighters battle 33 wildfires across Russia's Yamal region

Emergency crews are battling 33 wildfires in Russia's Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, where the fires have scorched more than 9,300 hectares, the region's Department of Civil Protection and Fire Safety has stated.

It said the active wildfires are burning in the Purovsky, Krasnoselkupsky, Nadymsky and Tazovsky districts, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

"The region currently has 33 active wildfires. The total area affected by the fires is 9,379 hectares. A total of 399 personnel and one Mi-8 helicopter equipped with a water bucket are involved in the firefighting operation," the department noted.

Authorities stressed that firefighters extinguished 10 wildfires covering 1,200 hectares over the past 24 hours.

Since the start of the wildfire season, 216 wildfires have been recorded in the Yamal region, burning a total of 24,600 hectares.

Earlier, the regional government announced a state of emergency in the region's forests due to the ongoing wildfires. A high-alert regime has also been introduced in response to the severe wildfire situation and an unfavorable fire risk forecast.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov