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A firefighter observes the fires in eastern Russia
Photo: Ivan Nikiforov / AP
In the fight against the devastating forest fires in Russia, the number of emergency services has been increased. In the particularly affected region of Yakutia (Republic of Sakha) in the east of the country, 500 more helpers have come, the authorities said. More than 4,000 people are on site, for example to prevent entire villages from burning down. Several fire-fighting planes are also in use. Although individual fires can be extinguished again and again, the overall situation is very difficult, it said.
Nationwide, the forest protection authority counted 242 fires on a total area of around 3.7 million hectares - slightly more than the day before.
This corresponds roughly to the area of Baden-Württemberg.
Whole villages and towns are drowning in smoke.
The smoke now extends far into the south of Russia on the border with Mongolia, as the authorities of the Republic of Khakassia announced.
For months there have been forest and wildfires in the largest country in the world.
Ten regions have already declared a state of emergency.
According to the authorities, most fires are caused by thunderstorms or because people light campfires despite warnings.
Residents of the affected regions should be outdoors as little as possible and wear protective masks because of the smoke, it said.
Historic fires in the USA
In the USA, too, the heat continues to pose major problems for the population: The "Dixie Fire" that raged in Northern California has become the second largest forest fire in the history of the US state.
According to the authorities, the huge fire had destroyed 187,562 hectares of land by Sunday morning - an area larger than Los Angeles.
The "Dixie Fire" has replaced the "Mendocino Complex Fire" from 2018 as the second largest fire in the history of California.
The "Dixie Fire", which has been raging since mid-July, is currently the largest active forest fire in the USA and one of eleven larger fires in California alone.
According to the fire brigade, only a good fifth of the fire has been brought under control so far.
Thousands of people have already fled the flames.
More than 400 buildings were destroyed.
The historic gold rush town of Greenville burned down completely.
"It was like coming from a war zone," Tami Kugler, who had fled Greenville and now lived in an emergency shelter in a tent, told AFP.
"My neighborhood is gone," she said.
Around them sat numerous exhausted families, their cars full of belongings that they could save from the fire.
The police were still looking for three missing people on Saturday.
Two people previously reported missing have now been found.
Again and again, the emergency services meet residents who oppose the evacuation order.
bam / AFP / dpa