As many as 83 wildfires are ravaging across Russia on an overall area of 3,300 hectares, a spokesman for the Russian Emergencies Ministry said today. "A total of 298 wildfire were registered on an area of more than 7,000 hectares in the past 24 hours in Russia. As many as 215 wildfires, including three peat-bog fires, were put out," Itar-Tass quoted the spokesman as saying. The number of wildfires on Sunday went up by 13 and their overall area - by more than 2,000 hectares on the previous day. "The most difficult fire situation is in the Baikal territory and the Amur region. Among causes are hot weather and the so-called human factor," the spokesman noted. In all, more than 4,200 wildfires have been reported this spring across Russia. Their overall area exceeded 92,000 hectares. "As compared with the spring of 2010, the number of wildfires dropped by 482, while their overall area increased by 19,000 hectares," the spokesman said.
