Massive wildfires in Siberia fueled by record heat | DW News

Firefighters in Siberia are battling massive wildfires and smoke, which are slowly beginning to threaten some major cities in the region of Yakutia. Russia's aerial forest protection service, the agency that specializes in forest fires, says that there are currently more than 40 fires burning and at least one district has declared a state of emergency. Siberia has been experiencing a heat wave in recent weeks with abnormally hot and dry conditions. While fires there aren't unusual, scientists say climate change has made them more frequent and more intense.