Emergency declared in Russia's Sakha

Moscow [Russia], July 2: The authorities in the Sakha (Yakutia) region in Russia's Far East have declared an emergency in response to devastating wildfires burning across more than 331,000 hectares, the Civil Protection Ministry in Moscow reported on Monday.
Around 1,500 firefighters had been deployed to douse more than 100 fires, it said.
The ministry said that 353 fires were burning across an area of more than 600,000 hectares, with the Far East worst affected.
Forests in the Amur region on the border with China and in the Baikal region in the centre of the country are also affected.
The fires in the Arctic region have led to enormous smoke plumes over recent weeks, with many cities under a cloud of smoke. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune