Weather experts expect that a large number of forest fires will occur in Russia this year, Scientific Director of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring Roman Vilfand said.
According to him, natural forest fires may begin in the second half of May.
"The year is expected to be difficult as far as the risk of wildfires goes. Forecasts say that this summer will be hotter than usual so fourth and fifth degree fires are highly likely to occur," TASS cited him as saying.
According to Vilfand, natural fires may begin in Russia in the second half of May, when the soil usually dries out. "We cannot rule out the possibility of steady rains in May. In this case, our current concerns will turn out to be baseless. But risks do exist," the expert emphasized.
