Focal correction: which regions are threatened by wildfires in September
A high risk of forest fires in September was recorded in the south of Russia, the North Caucasus, the Volga region, certain areas of the Far East and Siberia, the Federal Forestry Agency told Izvestia. Meteorologists note that this situation is not typical for the Far East.: as a rule, in early autumn the temperature decreases there, precipitation falls. But this year the situation is different. In which regions the autumn wildfires are expected and why environmentalists call this year unique — in the material "Izvestia".
What will burn this fall
In September 2025, high risks of forest fires exist in the North Caucasus and southern Russia, in the Volga region, in the south of Central Russia, in certain areas of the Far East, Siberia and the Urals, Ivan Sovetnikov, head of the Federal Forestry Agency, told Izvestia.
- We are preparing for the fact that this year's fire season will continue in September and October. Our forest fire services are ready for this scenario. We have all the necessary forces and means to respond promptly to threats," the head of the department said.
He explained that in summer, the main cause of fire is dry thunderstorms, but in spring and autumn fires occur due to the human factor — non-compliance with fire safety rules in forests. In addition, in the off-season, the transfer of fire to forest from agricultural lands is not uncommon.
By the end of this week, the fifth class of fire danger will remain in Yakutia, said Roman Vilfand, scientific director of the Russian Hydrometeorological Center. According to him, this is an unusual situation, because, as a rule, precipitation falls in the Far East in September, and the temperature decreases.
At the same time, in Tuva and the Tomsk region, where the fifth fire hazard class is currently installed, the situation will begin to stabilize by the beginning of next week, he predicts.
— It will rain in the Tomsk region, the temperature there will drop, so by the beginning of next week the situation there will not be so acute, — the expert explained.
Ecologist Roman Pukalov, Director of environmental Programs at the all-Russian NGO Green Patrol, believes that the situation in the European part of Russia is causing the greatest concern in September.
— Meteorologists predict three weeks without precipitation for the Moscow region. Of course, there is still enough moisture in the forest floor, and there will be no intense heat. However, no one has canceled the increased fire risk in many regions of the Northwestern, Central, Volga, North Caucasian and Southern Federal districts," the expert noted.
According to the Aviation Security Service, fires are currently active in the mountainous territories of the North Caucasus, in the forest-steppes of the Volga region, in the Arctic zone of Siberia and the Far East. The area covered by the fire is 8.3 thousand hectares.
"The cause of the fires is violations of fire safety rules in forests and on agricultural lands adjacent to forests. With the arrival of autumn, thunderstorm activity, as the cause of forest fires, is on the decline," the organization noted.
For example, on September 3, two fires broke out almost simultaneously in the Orenburg region due to the transfer of fire from agricultural lands to the territory of forests. During September 5, extinguishing continued, the Aviation Security Service noted. There were difficulties in fighting the fire due to the hilly terrain.
"In Dagestan, two forest fires are being extinguished in mountainous areas. The reason for one of them was the transfer of fire from agricultural lands to the forest fund. The reason for the second is the violation of fire safety rules by citizens," the department added.
The extinguishing process is hampered by the steepness of the slopes and high altitude — from 1.6 km to 2.8 km. A helicopter with a spillway device was used to eliminate the fires.
On September 4, 14 fires in forests on an area of 48 hectares were eliminated. Fires were active in nine regions of the country, in particular, in Yakutia, Dagestan, Leningrad, Chelyabinsk and Tomsk regions.
"816 people, 106 pieces of equipment, and three aircraft were involved in extinguishing the fire," the Aviation Security Service said.
The fire danger of the maximum, fifth, class is observed in certain areas of the Voronezh, Saratov and Orenburg regions, in Bashkortostan, Roman Vilfand said.
— A similar situation is also developing in the Southern Federal District — in the Volgograd and Rostov regions, in Kalmykia, Krasnodar Territory. Because the temperature there is above +20 degrees, and precipitation falls punctually," said the scientific director of the Russian Hydrometeorological Center.
The emergency mode due to fires is currently operating in the Ust-Aldan region of Yakutia. A special fire protection regime has been introduced in 51 regions, in particular, throughout the Belgorod, Voronezh, Moscow, Astrakhan, Ulyanovsk and Tyumen regions.
The area of fires has decreased
The area of fires that have occurred since the beginning of the year has almost halved compared to the same period last year, the Federal Forestry Agency told Izvestia.
According to the agency, in 2025, 6.3 thousand forest fires occurred in forest areas on an area of 4.2 million hectares. And in the same period of 2024 — 7.6 thousand fires on 7.8 million hectares.
— And compared with the average five-year values, the area of fires has decreased by one and a half times, — said Ivan Advisers.
On September 3, 15 forest fires were active on the lands of the country's forest fund on an area of 8.5 thousand hectares. Last year, on the same date, 53 fires were recorded on an area of 198.3 thousand hectares, he said.
The fire season in Russia promised to be intense due to the lack of snow in winter and the low supply of moisture in the soil, Roman Pukalov noted. But these forecasts have come true only for the Far East.
"The Trans—Baikal Territory and Buryatia have suffered the most this year," he said.
At the same time, in Yakutia, the area covered by fire is an order of magnitude lower than last year's values, the expert emphasized. This was facilitated by the weather conditions and the measures taken to extinguish fires.
— In general, this year, gentle weather conditions and the preparation of authorities and special services for the fire-prone period have played a positive role throughout the country.For example, when a forest fire broke out in Utrisha in Anapa in August, several hundred people, equipment, and helicopters were instantly deployed to extinguish it," Roman Pukalov added. — The fire was quickly extinguished, despite the inaccessibility of the territory.
This year, from the point of view of forest fires, can already be recognized as unique, the expert noted. Approximately 99% of the areas covered by fire from January 1 to September 5 are located in the Far Eastern District, and 63% of the affected forests are located in Transbaikalia.
— This does not mean that they did not prepare well for the fire-prone period. There was a drought there almost until the middle of summer, there were strong winds, and there was little moisture in the soil after the winter. Efforts to extinguish forest fires within the framework of the federal emergency regime have been enormous," he explained.
According to him, it's all about climate change on the planet and the general circulation of the atmosphere.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
