The perpetrators of a large-scale forest fire were detained in the Trans-Baikal Territory

Three forestry workers suspected of setting fire to dry grass, which led to a large-scale forest fire, were detained in the Trans-Baikal Territory. This was announced on May 23 by the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Irina Volk.

It is specified that the defendants were the head of the forest fire brigade, a forest firefighter and the driver of the regional branch of the KGSAU Zabaikalsky Forestry Association. According to preliminary information, in March they initiated the burning of dry grass near the forest area, allegedly for preventive purposes.

"As a result of non-compliance with the conditions of such events, the flames got out of control and spread to the trees. The men did not inform anyone about the fire that had started and did not take measures to extinguish it in a timely manner," said Volk.

As a result, the flames engulfed the territory of more than 30 thousand hectares. The fire was extinguished only by the end of April.

The criminal case, initially initiated under Part 1 of Article 261 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Destruction or damage to forest plantations"), was subsequently reclassified to Part 4 of the same article. It has been transferred to the investigative units of the Russian Interior Ministry.

After identifying the suspects, they were detained. An active fight against forest fires continues in the Trans-Baikal Territory, involving both special services and volunteers.

It's all burning with fire: Forest fires have engulfed the Far East

Fires are being extinguished by more than 3,000 people, and the number of specialists in difficult regions is constantly increasing.

The head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Alexander Kurenkov, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 22, said that the area of forest fires in Russia had increased 2.5 times compared to last year. According to the head of the department, the most difficult situation is observed in the Trans-Baikal Territory, where 487 fires have been registered on an area of 1.5 million hectares since the beginning of the year. At the same time, the situation in the region is classified as an emergency in federal forests.