VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The area ravaged by forest fires in Russia's Far East has increased by 20,000 hectares per day, the local forestry department said Thursday.
"In the past day, 15 forest fires were extinguished in the Far East, and 23 new forest fires have broken out. Taking into account the fires registered in the previous days, there were a total of 53 outbreaks," it said.
The areas ravaged by the fires were almost all located in the Amur region.
According to the department, 795 people and 151 pieces of ground equipment as well as three aircraft were involved in combating the wildfires.
Every year in spring, forest fires are quite common in Russia's heavily forested Far East region.
