Due to the arrival of summer and warm weather, the number of fires around the world has increased and their scale has expanded. Now is the "fire season", so to speak.
At this time of year, different countries of the world suffer from fires, especially forest fires.
The large-scale forest fires raging in Australia from the end of 2019 to the first months of 2020 woke up the whole world. 25 people died as a result of the fires that occurred on the south-eastern coast of Australia, nearly 2,000 houses and a total of more than 8 million hectares of land were burnt to ashes. A terrible fire caused the death of hundreds of millions of animals.
Forest fires were recorded in Australia this year as well. In the states of Victoria and New South Wales of the "Green Continent", the fire covered hundreds of thousands of hectares.
The large-scale forest fires that occurred in Turkey last year are also remembered. The fires that lasted for several days caused the destruction of forests, houses, and animals.
It should be noted that the Azerbaijani firefighters also participated closely in extinguishing those fires by the order of President Ilham Aliyev and showed selflessness.
Unfortunately, 2022 was not an exception in terms of forest fires in the world. As a result of warm weather and global warming in general, 2022 will be remembered as one of the hottest years in the history of meteorological observations.
APA reports with reference to "Le Point" newspaper that global warming has led to the destruction of more forests and green areas in 2022 than last year.
"The situation is more serious than we imagined," said Jesus San Miguel, coordinator of the European forest security system.
The official representative of the European Commission, Balash Uyvari, said that since the beginning of 2022, more than 700,000 hectares of land in the territory of 27 countries of the European Union have been burned and turned into ashes. However, this number covered 470,000 hectares throughout 2021.
And now about the fires recorded this year in individual countries.
In Bulgaria, on August 9, a state of emergency was declared in Pazarcık region due to forest fires caused by heat and drought. The fire covered an area of 200 hectares and threatened 2 villages. Due to the strong wind, the fire caused serious consequences in Harmanli, Lyubimets and Svilengrad regions in the south of Bulgaria.
The US state of California, which is rich in its greenery, also faced forest fires this year. A fire that started in late July on California's border with Oregon has destroyed more than 20,640 hectares.
The fire called "McKinney" caused the evacuation of more than 2,000 people and the destruction of many houses and infrastructure facilities in the Siskiyou district of the state.
It is reported that more than 600,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed in the United States this year. The most cases of fire were recorded in the state of Alaska.
In terms of fires, Russia can be called a "rich country". The most exciting situation regarding forest fires in the world is in Russia. According to official data, since the beginning of the year, more than 3.23 million hectares of forest in this country have been burnt to ashes.
Most fires were recorded in Khabarovsk region. Currently, more than 700,000 hectares of forest have burned in the region, and a federal emergency regime has been declared in the region.
In addition, the situation remains dangerous in the Krasnoyarsk region, the Republic of Yakutia and the Khanty-Mansiysk Federal District.
The situation with forest fires in Brazil also remains tense. In 2022, the number and scope of fires in the Amazon forests, considered the "lungs" of the world, reached a 15-year maximum. In July alone, 5,300 fires were detected, which is 8% more than last year.
Fires are expected to peak in August and September. In addition to heat and drought, the increase in forest fires is also strongly influenced by the fact that local farmers cut down and burn forests.
Turkey, which is one of the countries suffering the most from forest fires, is facing the same problem this year. Hot weather, drought and human factors have caused several serious forest fires in the sister country. Most of the fires registered on the coasts of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, in tourist areas, were recorded mostly in the regions of Marmaris, Aydın, Muğla, Manisa, Izmir and Balıkesir. Those fires are currently under control, and most of them have been extinguished.
It should be recalled that in 2021 alone, 139.5 thousand hectares of forest area were burnt to ashes in Turkey.
Currently, in addition to the above-mentioned countries, Greece, Poland, France, Great Britain, China, Canada, Botswana, Zambia, Republic of South Africa, Mozambique, New Zealand, Republic of Congo, Italy, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Madagascar also have hot spots of severe forest fires. .
Unfortunately, we have to add Azerbaijan to this list. Since the beginning of the summer season, the number of forest fires in the country has increased sharply.
As a result of the research, it is clear that fires occur for several reasons. The main reason is the hot and dry weather, as is the case all over the world.
In addition, dry trees in forests are subject to ignition in hot weather, resulting in fire. Of course, anthropogenic factors dominate among the reasons. When people go to the regions, forests, and mountains for recreation and picnic, it sometimes results in fires. Reckless behavior with burners lit for certain purposes, not fully extinguishing the flame, sparks flying around, throwing unextinguished cigarette butts into nature lead to large-scale forest fires. Creating wells for charcoal preparation in forested areas and careless handling of fire during the process also cause major disasters in some cases.
Another important and widespread cause of fires is the burning of harvested grain fields. Despite the numerous warnings of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, as well as other institutions, that the burning of harvested grain fields is both harmful to the soil and a fire hazard, citizens still do not stop these practices. As a result, the fire on the harvested grain field spreads to trees and forests, leading to large-scale fires.
Among the reasons is the factor of intentional setting of fires. Many times, the law enforcement agencies found out that the forest fires were caused intentionally and brought the guilty persons to justice.
Currently, forest fires continue in the northern and northwestern regions of the country. These fires, which started a few days ago, caused serious damage to villages, recreation centers, and infrastructure, and threatened people's lives.
The firefighting forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are constantly fighting to prevent fires.
Only yesterday, 154 fires were reported across the country, 38 of which were in the northern region.
In the territory of Guba, Gusar, Shabran, Khachmaz and other regions, 600 personnel, about 80 pieces of equipment, 2 helicopters and 1 "BE 200 CS" amphibious aircraft were involved in fighting fires. Deputy Minister of Emergencies Etibar Mirzayev is in charge of fire fighting in the region.
Firefighters in Gabala, Zagatala and other regions are fighting fires non-stop.
Although the current hot and windy weather prevents complete extinguishing of the fires, appropriate measures are being taken by the firefighting forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications using special climbing equipment and equipment in mountainous terrain with complex terrain, including hard-to-pass and steep rocky terrain.
As a result of President Ilham Aliyev's attention and concern, the firemen, equipped with the necessary aviation equipment and firefighting equipment, cope with their duties properly and show real dedication.
Employees of the State Fire Protection Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the North and North-West regional centers, the Special Risk Rescue Service, and the Civil Defense Troops were mobilized to fight fires.
Due to the professionalism, dedication and determination of firefighters, fires were extinguished in a number of areas, they were brought under control in some places, and the threat to residential areas and recreation centers was eliminated. The most gratifying thing is that the fires have not yet resulted in loss of life.
Currently, the fight against fires continues.
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