Wildfire Today

News and opinion about wildland fire

Wildfire Today

Tag: Siberia

Satellite photos of wildfires in Siberia

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags

wildfires Siberia satellite photoThese photos taken by the European Union’s Copernicus satellite show large wildfires that have been burning in grasslands (steppe) in southern Siberia for about a week. A State of Emergency has been declared in the Transbaikal region where about 1,200 personnel are battling the blazes. The province of Khabarovsk is also affected.

The photo below shows interesting burn patterns.

wildfires Siberia satellite photo

wildfires Siberia satellite photo

At least one large fire has burned from Russia into China.


wildfires Siberia satellite photo

Satellite photos of wildfires in Siberia

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

Two photos taken May 9 by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel 2 satellite of wildfires in Siberia highlight flames, and in the other, smoke. The sensors used were RGB-natural color and SWIR-enhanced infrared.

On that date wildfires blazed in Russia’s Far East around Komsomolsk-on-Amur, a city of nearly 264,000. The Siberian Times published images of the fires.

ESA satellite photo wildfire siberia

Millions of acres burning in Siberia

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

Above: Fires in Russia detected by a NASA satellite September 28, 2016.

Many wildfires are burning in eastern Siberia, creating massive amounts of smoke. Greenpeace reports that last week almost 5 million acres were involved. The fires have forced school closures in Bratsk and Ust-Kut in the Irkutsk region where thousands of children have been sent home according to local media.

Wreckage found of missing Russian air tanker

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , ,

This article first appeared on Fire Aviation.

Russian rescuers
Rescuers in Russia board a helicopter to fly to the site of the air tanker crash. Screen shot from EMERCOM of Russia video.

The wreckage of the Russian air tanker that was reported missing in Siberia on July 1 has been found. Rescuers found the debris of the Ilyushin IL-76 plane at approximately 2 a.m. Moscow time in the Kachug District, 9 km southeast of the settlement of Rybny Uyan.

Сегодня при обследовании места предполагаемого крушения самолета Ил-76 МЧС России летчиком-наблюдателем Авиалесоохраны Иркутской области Антипиным Александром в Качугском районе было обнаружено место крушения самолета Ил-76 МЧС России. В настоящее время десантники-пожарные Федеральной Авиалесоохраны в глухом лесу, где упал самолет, проводят расчистку площадки для приземления вертолета со спасателями МЧС. #леснойпожар #лес #пламя #героизм #парашютисты #десантники #огонь #пожар #лесной_пожарный #Avialesookhrana #Forest #fire #firefighter #smokejumpers #лесныепожары #bomberos #авиация #firefighterslife #пламя #aviation #plane #bombeiros #самолет #авиалесоохрана #рослесхоз #мчс #ил76 #трагедия

A photo posted by Федеральная Авиалесоохрана (@avialesookhrana) on

From the air the in the smoky conditions in the forest the only recognizable part of the aircraft was the tail.

Initially there were conflicting reports on the number of personnel on board, ranging from 9 to 11, but Russian authorities on Sunday confirmed there were 10. The remains of six and one flight recorder have been located. Marines are clearing an area to be used as a helispot.

Below is an excerpt from an article in the New Indian Express:

…A Russian aviation agencies source told TASS news agency that the plane most likely lost control because of interference from hot air from the wildfire that it was trying to douse with water.

“It’s possible that hot air from the wildfires got into the engines, the plane lost propulsion and could not gain altitude, hit the top of the trees and fell,” the source was quoted as saying.

The plane’s tail was discovered by another firefighter on today morning, said the Russian forestry agency’s aviation unit.

Last week another firefighter died on duty in Russia’s far-eastern Kamchatka region, the regional government revealed.

The forestry agency’s aviation unit said today that over 43 thousand hectares of forest land is burning in Russia, mostly in Siberia.

But Russia’s Greenpeace which monitors wildfires via satellite data said government figures are vastly underestimated, with 415 thousand hectares burning in Irkutsk region alone.

Russian air tanker missing while fighting wildfire in Siberia

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , ,

Above: file photo of IL-76TD by Shahram Sharifi

A very large air tanker that had been working on a wildfire in Siberia is missing. The IL-76, which can carry up to 15,000 U.S. gallons, had 11 on board, including “fire-fighting experts”, according to a report by Tass.

The air tanker departed at 5:34 a.m. Moscow time on Friday to assist firefighters on a fire in the Kachugsky district of the Irkutsk region. The crew did not make radio contact as planned at 6:30 a.m. Moscow time.

A search is underway assisted by two helicopters and an Antonov An-12 and An-26 of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

From Tass:

The crew members of the missing Il-76 plane are from Moscow and they have accumulated huge fire-fighting experience, a source in emergency services told TASS. “The crew members have a huge experience of fire-fighting operations, delivery of humanitarian relief supplies and other air rescue missions,” the source said.

Mine clearing missile reportedly used to help control wildfire in Russia

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 2 Comments on Mine clearing missile reportedly used to help control wildfire in Russia

We can’t confirm that two UR-77 Meteorit missile-firing mine clearing vehicles were actually used to help control a wildfire in Siberia, but that is the report. The missile may be towing detonation cord, which is sometimes used by wildland firefighters to build fireline or to fell a dangerous snag.