Forest fires have become a worldwide disaster. They are destroying not only the "lungs" of our planet - forests, but also entire settlements. Fires kill people and animals, as well as many species of insects and birds. The smoke spreading during the combustion process, polluting the atmosphere, has a detrimental effect on all living things.
Almost every summer, disturbing reports of wildfires appear in the news on a regular basis. In Russia, as of August 5, 2012, 180 forest fires were registered, covering an area of almost 20,000 hectares. In the summer of 2012, 4584 people, 555 units of fire fighting equipment and 66 aircraft took part in the elimination of fires on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The most difficult situation is developing in the Siberian and Far Eastern federal districts. On June 6, 2012, during the extinguishing of a fire in the Republic of Tyva, eight paratroopers-firefighters, who are members of the airborne fire service, were killed. In the Bai-Taiginsky region, a strong forest fire broke out, covering an area of 500 hectares, which suddenly changed from the lower to the upper one. All measures were taken, including the involvement of paratroopers, so that the fire did not spread to the nearby villages.
In Tomsk and other regions of the Siberian District, residents of various cities are forced to wear cotton-gauze bandages almost all summer. This is necessary in order to protect against the acrid smog that occurs as a result of forest burning.
The situation with forest fires is often complicated by the accompanying weather conditions. Thus, strong winds, high air temperatures, and a prolonged absence of precipitation contribute to the emergence of hotbeds of fire and the rapidity of the spread of fire, destroying everything in its path.
The problem of forest fires is not unique to Russia. Thus, a fire in the United States, Oklahoma, which occurred on August 4, 2012, destroyed an entire small city. Residents of the province managed to evacuate, but their houses burned to the ground. The fire element also covered the forests of the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Nebraska, Colorado.
Colorado suffered the largest wildfire in the history of the state in July 2012. He destroyed 72,000 square kilometers of forest, also burned down 396 houses, two people died. And in the northeastern part of Spain, near the border with France, on July 26, 2012, about 30 foci of forest fires were registered.
