We Don't Want to Alarm Anyone, But a Large Amount of Siberia Is on Fire Right Now

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For the Northern Hemisphere, spring is here – a time to start packing away winter jackets, and enjoying sunbaking on the deck.

But increasing warmth can also bring fires, and in Siberia and the Russian Far East, the situation is already looking pretty dire.

Russian Emergencies Minister Evgeny Zinichev has said that in Krasnoyarsk, 10 times as much territory was ablaze on April 27 compared to the same time last year, while in Transbaikal it was three times, and in the Amur region it was one and a half times as much.

In the Transbaikal region alone, this amounts to 200,000 hectares burnt – a larger area than the whole island of Maui, Hawaii.

And unfortunately, the cause is likely the worst mix of climate change, and COVID-19 cabin fever.