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|landuse=Villages, farmland, woodlands
|landuse=Villages, farmland, woodlands
|buildings=2,000
|buildings=2,000
|fatalities= Minimum 53, possibly several hundred <ref name="Infox608" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dagsavisen.no/utenriks/article499100.ece |title=– Dødeligheten i Moskva doblet av smog : Dagsavisen |publisher=Dagsavisen.no |date= |accessdate=2010-08-10}}</ref>
|fatalities= Minimum 53, possibly several thousand <ref name="Infox608" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dagsavisen.no/utenriks/article499100.ece |title=– Dødeligheten i Moskva doblet av smog : Dagsavisen |publisher=Dagsavisen.no |date= |accessdate=2010-08-10}}</ref>
|injuries=
|injuries=
}}
}}

Revision as of 18:22, 10 August 2010

2010 Russian wildfires
Smoke over western Russia on 4 August 2010
Date(s)Late July 2010 – present
LocationRussia[1]
Statistics
Land useVillages, farmland, woodlands
Impacts
DeathsMinimum 53, possibly several thousand [2][3]
Structures destroyed2,000

The 2010 Russian wildfires are a series of hundreds of wildfires that broke out across Russia, primarily in the west, from late July 2010 to present, due to record temperatures (hottest summer in Russian history[4]) and drought in the region.[5] The President of Russia has declared a state of emergency in seven regions for the fires, while 28 other regions were under a state of emergency due to crop failures caused by the Russian drought.[6]

Prelude

Main article: 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat wave
Global temperature anomalies in June 2010, showing a concentrated region of temperatures about 4-5°C+ above average in Western Russia.

During the year 2010, Russia experienced generally dry and hot weather starting around late May – early June. Temperatures of 35 °C (95 °F) first occurred after 12 June, which alone was an abnormality for the country (average mid-June temperatures seldom rise above 30 °C (86 °F)). In the second half of June, distant Russian regions (such as Sakha Republic), located mostly in Asia, as well as areas of partial taiga, had temperatures of 38–40 °C (100–104 °F) degrees. The warm ridging pattern then slowly moved westward to the Ural Mountains, and by July settled in European Russia.

On 25 June a new temperature record was set in the Asian portion of Russia, at Belogorsk, Amur Oblast, at 42.3 °C (108.1 °F). The previous record in the Asian portion was 41.7 °C (107.1 °F) at Aksha (village) on 21 July 2004. A new record for the highest nationwide temperature in Russia was set on 11 July, at 44 °C (111 °F), in Yashkul, Kalmykia (in the European portion), beating the previous record of 43.8 °C (110.8 °F) set on 6 August 1940, also in Kalmykia.[7]

Average temperatures in the region increased to over 35 °C (95 °F). Citizens of Moscow endured nights of 36 °C (97 °F), a record for nighttime temperatures since the year 1947. The mean high for European Russia recorded on 26 July reached 40 °C (104 °F) during the day, and 34 °C (93 °F) at night. During the month of July, a large portion of European Russia was more than 7 °C (12.6 °F) warmer than normal.[8]

Timeline

29 July

Peat fires start in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, the Voronezh Oblast, and across central and western Russia in response to unseasonably hot weather.[9]

31 July

Regions with wildfire spreading on 31 July

The head of EMERCOM, Sergey Shoygu, reported on 31 July 2010 that the fire situation in the seventeen federal subjects of Russia, especially in Vladimir and Moscow Oblasts, may be complicated. He claimed that in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast the velocity of fires was 100 meters per minute, and the fiery air flow tore trees from the root, like a hurricane.[10] A YouTube video was uploaded, showing a group of men escaping from burning village in Vyksa district by driving their car over a burning road.[11]

Smoke in Voronezh Oblast

1 August

On 1 August 2010, the area of the forest fires was 114,000 ha (1,140 km2).[12]

The Central Regional Center MOE Russia website reported that in Moscow Oblast 130 foci of natural fires were detected, covering the area of 880 hectares. Of those, 67 fires covered an area of 178 hectares.[5]

2 August

Smoke of the wildfires over Moscow

According to "Interfax" referring to the head of the National Center for Crisis Management of EMERCOM Vladimir Stepanov, as of 2 August 2010, Russia revealed approximately 7,000 fires in the area over 500,000 ha (5,000 km2). Fire was also burning in fourteen federal subjects of Russia, and on 2 August 2010, officials reported the death of 34 people.[12]

All parts of Moscow on Monday were shrouded with smoke, with reduced visibility on roads and a strong smell of fire.[5]

On Monday, 2 August 2010, Vladimir Putin scheduled a meeting with the Governors of Voronezh, Novgorod, Samara, Moscow, Ryazan, and Vladimir Oblasts, as well as the Head of the Republic of Mordovia.[5]

4 August

By 4 August, the wildfires were still burning over 188,525 ha (1,885.25 km2), with the death toll standing at 48. Some major fires were burning in areas contiguous to the nuclear research center in Sarov.

President Dmitry Medvedev cut short his summer break to return to Moscow for an emergency meeting of the national security council to address the crisis.[13] At an international meeting on July 30, amid the ongoing heat wave and wildfires, Medvedev had announced on television that "practically everything is burning. The weather is anomalously hot [...] What's happening with the planet's climate right now needs to be a wake-up call to all of us, meaning all heads of state, all heads of social organizations, in order to take a more energetic approach to countering the global changes to the climate".[14]

Medvedev sacked some of his senior navy officers after one fire destroyed Russian navy equipment.[15][16] The officers were accused of "incomplete professional responsibility" after several buildings were allowed to burn down and vehicles and equipment destroyed.[17] He suggested anyone who had neglected their duties would be prosecuted.[18] On the same day it was reported that another fire was approaching a major secret nuclear research facility in the city of Sarov.[17]

Environmental groups and opposition politicians suggested firefighting has been slowed down by the Forest Code law passed by the Duma in 2006 at the order of Putin.[19][clarification needed]

5 August

According to the Emergencies Ministry in Russia, there were 843 reported outbreaks of fires, including 47 peat fires. There were 73 large fires.[20]

The fires threatened an animal sanctuary for over 1,800 animals, including dogs and retired circus animals such as bears, monkeys, foxes and tortoises on 5 August. Close to 600 fires were still burning in the country, and around 2,000 homes had been destroyed. The President fired several high-ranking military officials after fires burned through a secret military base.[21]

Carbon monoxide pollution in Moscow was four times above normal. Firefighters fought to prevent the wildfires from reaching Bryansk, an area bordering Ukraine contaminated with radioactive material, including cesium-137 and strontium-90, in the soils following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Emergencies Minister Sergey Shoygu warned that fires could release radionuclides into the air. He said that a new zone of radioactive pollution could emerge. Two fires broke out in the region but were contained.[22][23][24]

6 August

Smoke in Moscow on 6 August

According to the Emergencies Ministry, there were registered 831 fires, including 42 peat fires. 80 large fires were registered in an area of 150,800 ha (1,508 km2).[20] Almost 162,000 people were reported to be fighting with the flames in the regions of Moscow, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Yaroslavl, Tver, Yekaterinburg, Republic of Mordovia, and Mari El Republic.[2] The death toll rose to 52.[2]

According to the State environmental agency "Mosekomonitoring", in the morning in Moscow, the maximum concentration of carbon monoxide in the air exceeded the acceptable norm by 3.6 times, the content of suspended particles by 2.8 times, and specific hydrocarbons by 1.5 times.

The Moscow airports of Domodedovo and Vnukovo are not able to land more than 40 planes and were only able to send about 20 planes due to the strong haze caused by the smoke. As of 10 a.m., visibility at Domodedovo was 350 m and 300 m at Vnukovo. According to the Federal Air Transportation Agency, the Sheremetyevo airport works as usual because of visibility of about 800 m.[20]

An international football friendly match (Russia–Bulgaria) scheduled for 11 August was moved to Saint Petersburg.[25] Two Russian Premier League football games were postponed because of the severe environmental situation.[26]

According to the spectrometric data received from the NASA satellites Terra and Aqua, the smoke from the fires in some places rose to a height of about 12 kilometers and ended up in the stratosphere, which usually only occurs during volcanic eruptions.[27] Satellite imagery showed that a cloud of smoke 1,850 mi (2,980 km) wide covered Western Russia.[28]

7 August

Wikinews has related news:
Moscow, Yasenevo, Aivazovskogo street. Left - June 17th, 2010, 20:22 PM. Right - August 7th, 2010, 17:05 PM.
Smoke in Sheremetyevo 7 August 2010.

Emergency officials registered 853 outbreaks of fires by 7 August, including 32 peat fires, with a total area of 193,516 ha (1,935.16 km2), in which 244 islands of fire were put out, and 290 new fires sprung up.[29]

In Moscow, by noon the concentration of airborne pollutants intensified and reached at 6.6 times normal level for carbon monoxide, and 2.2 times for suspended particulate matter.[30] Seven flights heading for Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports were redirected to alternate airfields.[31] The temperature may reach 40 °C (104 °F) in Moscow Oblast.[32] At Sheremetyevo International Airport, visibility was reduced to 325 meters.[8]

The upper border of the smoke layer (7-8 km) above the Moscow region

8 August

Smoke from fires in the Novgorod region travel further north, arriving in Saint Petersburg.[33] Also the Mayak nuclear fuel reprocessing facility in Chelyabinsk Oblast is threatened. Weathermen predicted light winds from the northwest monday afternoon, blowing smoke away from Moscow. Various people from the northwest part of Moscow reported cleaner air to breath, and slightly more blueish sky.

Public health effects

Deaths in Moscow doubled and were averaging 700 people a day, about twice the average number,[34] amid a sweltering heat wave and poisonous smog from wildfires, according to Andrei Seltsovky, a Russian health official. He blamed weeks of unprecedented heat and suffocating smog for the rise in mortality compared to the same time last year, adding that city morgues were nearly overflowing, with 1,300 bodies, close to their capacity.[35] The heat wave is likely unprecedented in Russia in 1,000 years,[34] and may have killed over 15,000 people so far.[36]


Temperatures on 31 July 2010.

International assistance and response

Russia has received assistance in extinguishing the fires from Serbia,[37][38] Italy, Ukraine,[39] Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Poland,[40] Lithuania,[41] Iran,[42] Estonia,[43] Uzbekistan,[44] Venezuela,[45] France,[46] Germany[47] and Latvia.[48]

Many diplomats have departed and a number of embassies have temporarily closed, among them those of Austria, Canada, Germany and Poland.[49] On its website, the US State Dept. advised Americans traveling to Moscow and surrounding areas should “carefully consider” their plans because of "hazardous levels of air pollution" and "numerous flight delays." Italy’s Foreign Ministry advised people to "postpone any travel plans to Moscow that aren’t strictly necessary."

Criticism

Swamps and bogs surrounding Moscow had been drained in the 1960s for agricultural use and mining of peat to generate energy.[50] In 2002, a series of hard-to-extinguish peat fires led the government to the recognition that peat fields needed to be rewatered to prevent wildfires.[50] By 2010, however, large peat areas that had not been rewatered contributed to the wildfires. Government officials said they could not have anticipated the heatwave that caused the fires. However, critics have blamed complacent officials for ignoring warnings of blazes near villages.[51] Sergey Robaten, Vadim Tatur, and Maksim Kalashnikov argue that the fires and the inability to contain and extinguish them was due to “the inaction of bureaucrats” and Vladimir Putin's elimination of the national fire service in 2007. Putin had transferred responsibility for fighting fires to those renting state property and the subjects of the federation, with the assumption that owners or renters would spend the money necessary to prevent forest fires, however the reality in Russia was that companies were seeking to make quick profits and so neglected forest fire fighting. Putin's spokesman stated "this is a well functioning system which only needs some minor adjustments". [52][53]

United Russia, the pro-Kremlin party which dominates parliament, boasted of sending volunteers to help extinguish the fires. However the party was accused of doctoring a photograph placed on its website. A blogger noticed that the picture showing volunteers apparently wrestling with a piece of timber in a smoky wood had been created in 2008 and altered in Adobe Photoshop with smoke being added for effect. [51]

See also

References

  1. ^ Henry, Patrick (3 August 2010). "Russian Wildfires' Death Toll Rises to 50; Drought May Force Export Ban". Bloomberg. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Крупных пожаров стало больше, погибли уже 52 человека" (in Russian). Infox. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  3. ^ "– Dødeligheten i Moskva doblet av smog : Dagsavisen". Dagsavisen.no. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Russia Wildfires Rage Amid Record Heat | News | English". .voanews.com. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d / Moscow once again enveloped the smoke from fires
  6. ^ Kramer, Andrew (8 August 2010). "A smoky curtain falls on Moscow". theage.com.au. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  7. ^ Masters, Jeff. "Russia records its hottest temperature in history; 97L develops near Puerto Rico". Weather Underground. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  8. ^ a b Masters, Jeff. "Bermuda eyes a weak Colin; new extreme heat record for Belarus". Weather Underground. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  9. ^ Posted by ' + bpCmId[j][2] + ' ' + bpCmId[j][3] + '. "Russian wildfires - The Big Picture". Boston.com. Retrieved 7 August 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ area of forest fires in Russia decreased
  11. ^ Youtube video of car driving through fire
  12. ^ a b Area fires in Russia increased to 500 thousand hectares
  13. ^ Medvedev cuts holiday as Russian wildfires kill 48. BBC News 4 August 2010.
  14. ^ Shuster, Simon (2 August 2010). "Will Russia's Heat Wave End Its Global-Warming Doubts?". TIME. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  15. ^ "Russia's Medvedev sacks navy officers for base fire". Reuters. 4 August 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  16. ^ "Russian leader sacks top officers over fire". Daily Nation. 4 August 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  17. ^ a b "Medvedev sacks officials over fires". Aljazeera. 5 August 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  18. ^ Gorst, Isabel and Weaver, Courtney (4 August 2010). "Medvedev orders investigation into Russian wildfires". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 August 2010.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ Bryanski, Gleb (3 August 2010). "Opposition says Putin law cripples Russia fire-fighting". Reuters Africa. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  20. ^ a b c "В России возросло число крупных пожаров". Lenta.ru. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  21. ^ UKPA, Google (5 August 2010). "Wildfires threaten animal sanctuary". The Press Association. Retrieved 5 August 2010. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  22. ^ Ferris-Rotman, Amie (5 August 2010). "Russia fires pose nuclear threat, death toll hits 50". Reuters. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  23. ^ Europe, VoANews (6 August 2010). "Smog From Spreading Russia Fires Chokes Moscow". Voice of America. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  24. ^ Dispatches, Moscow (8 August 2010). "Russia's wildfires threaten nuclear sites". Tehran Times. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  25. ^ "Товарищеский матч национальных сборных России и Болгарии перенесен в Санкт-Петербург" (in Russian). RFU. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  26. ^ "Russian Premier League postpones two matches over smog in Moscow". ITAR-TASS. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  27. ^ "Дым от пожаров в России добрался до стратосферы" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 26 July 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  28. ^ Sinclair, Lulu (6 August 2010). "Death Rate Surges In Russian Heatwave". Sky News Online HD. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  29. ^ "Свыше 850 природных пожаров бушуют в России" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  30. ^ "Концентрация угарного газа в Москве превышает ПДК более чем в 6,5 раза" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  31. ^ "Семь авиарейсов не смогли сесть во Внуково и Домодедово" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  32. ^ "Still hard to breathe in Moscow because of smog, tmp to rise to 40". ITAR-TASS. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  33. ^ "Ялнц Нубюрхк Яюмйр-Оерепаспц - Хмрепмнбнярх.Пс". Internovosti.ru. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  34. ^ a b Isachenkov, Vladimir (9 August 2010). "Moscow deaths double amid smog to 700 people a day". The Associated Press. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  35. ^ "Moscow deaths double amid smog to 700 people a day - Israel News, Ynetnews". Ynetnews.com. 20 June 1995. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  36. ^ Masters, Jeff. "Over 15,000 likely dead in Russian heat wave; Asian monsoon floods kill hundreds more". Weather Underground. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  37. ^ Србија понудила помоћ Русији у гашењу пожара
  38. ^ Марић: Србија понудила Русији помоћ у гашењу пожара
  39. ^ Ukrainian rescuers helping extinguish forest fires in Russia, Kyiv Post (August 6, 2010)
  40. ^ "ВЗГЛЯД / Флаги в помощь". Vz.ru. 8 May 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  41. ^ "Литва предлагает России помощь в ликвидации последствий пожаров: Голос России". Rus.ruvr.ru. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  42. ^ http://fwnews.ru/interesnoe/2iran-pomozhet-tushit-prirodnye-pozhary87
  43. ^ "Известия.Ру: Эстония готова помочь России в борьбе с лесными пожарами". Izvestia.ru. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  44. ^ "Едхмши Пняяхияйхи Онпрюк". ER.ru. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  45. ^ "ВЗГЛЯД / Венесуэла предложила России помощь в борьбе с пожарами". Vz.ru. 8 May 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  46. ^ "Франция предлагает России помощь в борьбе с пожарами". Tatar-inform.ru. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  47. ^ "Германия готова помочь России в борьбе с пожарами | Германия | Deutsche Welle | 31.07.2010". Dw-world.de. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  48. ^ "Krievija lūdz Latvijas palīdzību cīņai ar uguni". Delfi.lv. 9 August 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2010. Template:Lv icon
  49. ^ Stoermer V (8 August 2010). "(Diplomats leave Moscow because of Fires)" (in German). Retrieved 9 August 2010.
  50. ^ a b Serghey Stelmakovich. "Russia institutes peat fire prevention program". Retrieved August 9,2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  51. ^ a b Tom Parfitt in Moscow. "Smoke from Russian fires blankets Moscow | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  52. ^ Goble, Paul. "Putin's Destruction Of Forest Service In 2007 Behind Russia's Current Fire Disaster". Eurasiareview.com. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  53. ^ Bryanski, Gleb. "Opposition says Putin law cripples Russia fire-fighting | Reuters". Uk.reuters.com. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
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