Frantic battle to stop wildfires engulfing suburbs Chita city
Southern
Siberia hit by punishing flames causing death and destruction.
15
April, 2015
There
were desperate pleas for volunteer firefighters in Chita last night
as flames threatened to ravage the outskirts of the city, with one
eye-witness warning of a 'wall' of fire. Deep into the night,
residents came to counter the flames.
One
volunteer Alexey Kuzubov pleaded dramatically on social media site
Vkontakte: 'The situation is very bad on the hill now! Anyone who
wants, who can help come here !!! Now the fire in the 2-3 km from the
ring road ~' 'Hills are burning, all goes to the city !!!! Very
little of us here!!!'
Another
volunteer Nikolay Fedotov said: 'Hard to say, how far away the fire
is away from the city ... Think the distance is two or three
kilometers from one part of the city. Now going there again. Came to
the city to refuel, take drinking water.
'Very
difficult now. About 100 volunteers (maybe less) and about a dozen
pieces of fire equipment went there. Fire is like a wall. Hard to
stop it. Most of people are trying to fill up the fire with shovels'.
It
was the second deadly wildfire outbreak, now engulfing Trans-Baikal
region after previously hitting the Khakassia republic. The area hit
by flames increased 12-fold in size since Monday. Picture: Alexei
Volovikov
There
were reports that the raging fires had spread into China - and also
denials that this had happened. Reports by Chinese emergency rescue
services said wildfires had hit Argun, Inner Mongolia Province,
destroying at least 85 residential and farm buildings, as well as
vehicles and other hardware.
The
Xinxua News Agency said the economic damage was put at $3.2 million.
In
Trans-Baikal region, there were reports that at least three people
perished in the fires. A three-year-old girl was among the dead as
more than 1,850 people try to quell blaze that shows no signs of
stopping.
A
man, a woman and a three-year-old girl died in the fires, said
regional Health Minister Mikhail Lazutkin. The man's death was caused
by carbon monoxide poisoning, the woman died of a heart attack, and
the girl during the evacuation from the burning village. Another 20
people were hurt, Lazutkin said.
It
was the second deadly wildfire outbreak, now engulfing Trans-Baikal
region after previously hitting the Khakassia republic. The area hit
by flames increased 12-fold in size since Monday.
The
fire damaged or completely destroyed 153 houses in 19 villages, which
were home to more than 520 people, and burned dozens of
dachas. Pictures: Alexandra Orlov
Originally
the fire had been affecting 3,000 hectares but, aided by strong winds
and dry conditions, it has now spread to 45,000 hectares. According
to the Ministry of Health, three people have died and dozens have
been injured or required treatment, but it is feared this could
rise.
At
least 23 people dead in Khakassia.
Chita,
the Trans-Baikal capital, was shrouded in acrid smoke for the second
day with visibility in the city no more than 200 to 300 metres and a
strong smell of burning in the air.
The
fire damaged or completely destroyed 153 houses in 19 villages, which
were home to more than 520 people, and burned dozens of dachas. There
are concerns that further strong winds today could exacerbate the
situation.
Chita
resident Soelma Sandakodorzhieva said: 'The fire is going from the
west side to the east, and now everything is covered in smoke. Some
people were evacuated from Smolenka village, where the fire destroyed
145 houses, and from Karpovka village and the towns of Lesnoy and
Gorny.
'There
is a military unit in one of the towns. The authorities have assured
us though that there is no ammunition and no threat to the lives and
health of local residents.'
Almost
simultaneously, the wall of fire arrived at the Dobrotny
neighbourhood where, despite the best efforts of firefighters, it
burned several buildings. Pictures: Alyona Snitkova, Alexandra Orlov
A
few kilometres from Smolenka, a three-year-old girl was killed in a
settlement of summer houses. A man tried to rescue her from the fire
and tried to escape by car but lost control and crashed into a tree,
with the car catching fire on impact.
Near
Chita the blaze crept close to several villages, and between Smolenka
and Dobrotny it crossed the road with wind gusts that reached more
than 20 metres per second. Elvira Yumakeeva, a local resident, said:
'The fire started and the men who were there helped to put it out,
then the electricity was cut down and we had no more water to
extinguish the fire.'
Almost
simultaneously, the wall of fire arrived at the Dobrotny
neighbourhood where, despite the best efforts of firefighters, it
burned several buildings. Tragedy was avoided, however, as all
residents were evacuated.
In
the village of Kazanovo 18 families lost their houses, and
eyewitnesses said the fire was almost impossible to stop. Irina
Kozyreva said: 'We are now left with nothing at all. We managed to
get only documents and our child, then all flashed, and it was
impossible to get anything.'
Officials
said that 253 paratroopers are among the 1,850 people trying to
extinguish the blaze, with 108 fire engines involved.
The
Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday that the fire has spread to
Inner Mongolia but Russian officials have so far not been able to
confirm this.
This screenshot shows where this is happening. Chita is in the centre with lake Baikal at the left and Ulan Bataar (Mongolia) on bottom left
Fire in Chita, Zabaikalye – Now I know what Hell looks like!
Пожар
13.04.2015 в п. Забайкалец, Чита, Забайкальский
край - Теперь я знаю как выглядит АД!
Weather for Chita today
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