The key culprit behind Siberia’s raging blazes is carelessness when handling fire, the press service of the Russian Emergencies Ministry informed TASS on Monday.
“Air reconnaissance has shown that most wildfires are located along roads. This suggests that the main reason for the emergence of these wildfires is human carelessness while handling fire,” the press service said.
Earlier reports said that most of the blazes had been caused by hot weather, lack of precipitation and dry thunderstorms.
Russian Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev earlier said during a conference call that it was essential to continue awareness-raising campaigns with the public.
According to the Emergencies Ministry, wildfires in Siberia and the Far East have burnt over 2.4 mln hectares of woodland. Aircraft operated by the Russian Emergencies and Defense Ministries are involved in the firefighting effort.