A gripping video has emerged from Russia, capturing the harrowing journey of a train navigating through a fierce wildfire. Filmed from the train’s cabin, the footage portrays the surrounding landscape consumed by flames, seemingly reaching out to touch the train’s exterior. The incident unfolded in the mountainous Muysky district of Siberia, an area currently battling extensive wildfires, as reported by The Metro.
Meanwhile, a colossal wildfire has been raging for days in the forests near Lake Baikal, the deepest lake globally. This blaze poses a grave threat to the surrounding region, including the Muysky District, where approximately 30,000 hectares—surpassing the size of Wales—have already succumbed to the inferno.
In Russian Buryatia, a train was filmed from the driver’s cab as it rushes through a forest fire.
Forest fires have been burning in the republic for several days. The total area covered by the fire is 30,686 hectares. Only for the past 24 hours 6 new fires were discovered.… pic.twitter.com/vWGuwStU3H
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) June 2, 2024
Amidst mounting concerns about Russia’s wildfire management capabilities this summer, some attribute the challenges to the diversion of emergency teams to the conflict in Ukraine.
In response to the escalating danger, authorities have enforced a ban on forest entry across Buryatia, a region neighboring the fire zone. With warm and dry weather anticipated in June, as many as 49 regions throughout Russia could confront similar wildfire hazards.
According to data from Greenpeace Russia, the 2021 wildfire season in Siberia marked the most destructive on record, with a staggering 18.8 million hectares of forest lost to the flames. While this year exhibits a broader distribution of wildfires compared to the same period in 2023, overall fire activity remains below recent averages.
Nonetheless, the dramatic footage of a train navigating through a wildfire underscores the significant threat posed by these blazes. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has strained emergency response capabilities, fueling doubts about Russia’s ability to effectively combat wildfires. Additionally, forecasts predicting dry weather in June raise concerns that nearly 49 regions across the country could face heightened wildfire risks.
