INTERNATIONAL WILDFIRES (21ST CENTURY)

2015

ECOCIDE
noun
destruction of the natural environment,
especially when deliberate.

INTERNATIONAL WILDFIRES

(Largest Fires of the 21st Century)

Russian Wildfires
(2015)

(Peryednaya Byrka, Zabaikalskiy Krai, Satellite Imagery)

#14

LARGEST FIRE OF THE 21ST CENTURY

The Official Story

2015 RUSSIAN WILDFIRES
(14th Largest Fire of the 21st Century)

From 12 to 16 April 2015, a series of wildfires spread across southern Siberia, Russia. In the Republic of Khakassia, 29 people were killed and 6,000 left homeless. Further east in Zabaykalsky Krai, four people died in wildfires near Chita. Damage was also reported in Inner Mongolia.

Impact

The wildfires killed at least 29 people in Khakassia, with three people unaccounted for as of 16 April. Approximately 900 others were injured. Seventy-seven people were hospitalized, with eight in critical condition as of 14 April. Approximately 1,300 homes across 34 villages were damaged, leaving roughly 6,000 people homeless. The town of Shira (near Lake Shira) was hardest hit, with 420 homes burned to the ground. As of 16 April, approximately 800 people across Khakassia remained in hospitals or emergency shelters. Livestock losses were estimated at 5,000 cattle and sheep, with the possibility of more deaths from starvation due to lack of grass to eat. More than 10,000 km2 of land was burnt in the fires. The Khakassia government designated 14 April as an official day of mourning. In the aftermath of the fires, looters were seen stealing bicycles, pipes, and other metal objects to sell as scrap metal.

In Zabaykalsky Krai, four deaths were reported. About 20 people were injured, with one person hospitalized. Over 150 homes across 19 villages were damaged, leaving more than 800 people homeless. An estimated 107,000 hectares of land was burnt.

In Inner Mongolia, 85 buildings were damaged as well as farming equipment and other vehicles. The damage there was estimated at US$3.2 million.

The Federal Forestry Agency blamed local officials for failing to follow agency guidelines for preventing wildfires. Alexei Yaroshenko, a Greenpeace forest expert, demanded that Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov and regional Governor Viktor Zimin be punished for the incident. Deputy Emergency Minister Alexander Chupriyan blamed carelessness by citizens saying, “This fire would not have happened if no one played with matches.” At least five criminal cases related to the fires have been filed. Authorities did not rule out that some of the fires may have been set by arsonists.

Source: Wikipedia

2015 Russian Wildfires Statistics

Dates(s):	Mid April 2015
Burned Area:	>11,000 square kilometres (4,200 sq mi; 1,100,000 ha)
Cause:	Agricultural land clear
Buildings Destroyed:	1440+
Deaths:	33
Non-fatal injuries:	900+