Russia battles to defend nuclear sites from fires (Russia on fire)

Google news ^ | 08/10/2010 | Stuart Williams

[RnMomof7]

MOSCOW — Russia fought a deadly battle Tuesday to prevent wildfires from engulfing key nuclear sites as alarm mounted over the impact on health of a toxic smoke cloud shrouded over Moscow.

After almost two weeks of fires that have claimed over 50 lives and even part destroyed a military storage site, the authorities said they were making progress in fighting fires that still covered 174,035 hectares of land "A positive dynamic in liquidating the wildfires continues to be observed," said the head of the emergencies ministry's crisis unit, Vladimir Stepanov.

The emergencies ministry said that over the last 24 hours, 247 new fires had appeared, more than the 239 that were extinguished, and 557 fires were still raging across the affected region.

[ExpatCanuck]

How long was it before we even heard what happened at Chernobyl?

Speaking of Chernobyl, is that area in the path of the fires? I can't open the map link to check. If it is in the path, there may be additonal danger of radioactive materials being burned and the ashes being disbursed into the air, I would think.

[353FMG]

>Any hand by the chechens or other islamists in starting these fires?<

.
Are you trying to wake up sleeping dogs?

[dfwgator]

“A four-alarm fire in Downtown Moscow clears way for a glorious new tractor factory.”

[OldNavyVet]

Chernobyl news travelled as fast as the wind ... winds that carried massive amounts of radiation.

In other words ... that news spread quickly.

This episode seems to speak of new fires breaking out all over Russia.

Looks like arson to me ...

Is another Russian revolution in progress?

[Abathar]

The Japanese tried to do it in WW2. I also heard that Al Qaida had plans to start literally thousands of fires throughout the west during a drought, they wanted the entire west to burn.

[Uncle Miltie]

I’ve mapped Chernobyl affected areas and the Russian fires. They do not seem to overlap much. Novgorod, though, is a hot spot, and IIRC, a nuclear weapons development site. More research needed on that one.

[cookcounty]

"174,035 hectares "

That's pretty big, but not some colossal record-breaker

[Gator113]

Okay, I Imagined it. Now how do I wipe this smile off of my face? ;>)

[cookcounty]

Yellowstone fires of 1988 were about 3X to 4X larger than this.

[cookcounty]

A little larger than Oregon’s Tillamook burn of 1933.

[mad puppy]

174,035 hectares of land or about 430,000 acres which is just over half the size of the Yellowstone fire back in 1988.

[4yearlurker]

I’ll have to watch another episode of “What fits into Russia.” Staring Dave Thomas.

[dfwgator]

Hey Yorgi
He’s coming to your town
Hey Yorgi
He never wears a frown
Hey Yorgi
He’s as happy as can be
‘Cause all of Russia
Is Yorgi’s family!!!!

[Pearls Before Swine]

“A four-alarm fire in Downtown Moscow clears way for a glorious new tractor factory.”

Yeah... you've got it!

[Catholic Canadian]

lol. SCTV with John Candy as Yorgi if I recall

[dfwgator]

Narrator: If there was someone in your family who was no good...
Chorus: Uzbeks.
Narrator: Someone who embarrassed you...
Chorus: Uzbeks.
Narrator: Someone who constantly took but never gave...
Chorus: Uzbeks.
Narrator: If there was someone like that in your family...
Chorus: Uzbeks.
Narrator: You would do something, wouldn’t you? Mother Russia has someone like that in her family.
Chorus: Uzbeks.
Narrator: But she can’t do something about it without your help. Experience has taught us not to make martyrs of our enemies, so: Leave them alone.
Chorus: Uzbeks.
Narrator: Don’t give them money or matches.
Chorus: Uzbeks.
Title Card: Mother Russia Cares
Narrator: And don’t encourage them to gamble and drink. Uzbeks. They are the weak link in the great chain of Socialism.

[colorado tanker]

The temperature inversions in the West usually come in the winter, not the summer. I was here when our Governor grossly exaggerated and said "Colorado is burning." The sky turned pink for a couple of days and you could definitely smell smoke, but otherwise the city wasn't affected.

I think a lot of what is hurting Russia is the corruption. Who knows where money that might be available for fire fighting and forestry management might have been going?

[toldyou]

Here’s an interesting map..takes about 30 seconds to open..

After it opens, click on the page...map of the world will appear. Click on an area to zoom in. Look at Africa!

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/firemaps/firemap.2010191-2010200.8192x4096.jpg

[Alter Kaker]

You're asking the wrong question -- the Russian wildfires this year are NOT worse than normal, so you wouldn't expect to see anything different from a climactic perspective.

In fact, last year's fire season was more severe in terms of total acreage burned.

What's unusual this year is that the fires are in Western Russia, near major population centers, not in Siberia and the Far East.

[wolfcreek]

Not to mention a 1000 or more have drowned from drinking too much alcohol while trying to keep cool in local waters.