[RnMomof7]

I can not believe this has not been covered by the national news at all.

Linsey is out of prison now so news is slow :(

Here is an article with a map of the fires

http://jotman.blogspot.com/2010/08/map-of-fire-situation-in-russia.html

[dfwgator]

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

[edcoil]

I understood the russians had perfected seeding clouds and controlling the weather.

What happened?

[Mr. K]

Doesn’t anyone believe in cutting fire breaks anymore?

Just let the loggers have at a patch of land a quarter mile wide every few miles....

geez

[kristinn]

The Moscow authorities acknowledged for the first time on Monday that the daily mortality rate in Moscow had doubled and morgues were overflowing with bodies but the federal government has yet to confirm that statistic.

Imagine if this were our capital, Washington, D.C.

[stuartcr]

I’ve seen it on the news, and in the paper.

[silverleaf]

and just 2 months ago the Russians were saying “neener neener” at the predicted poisoning of the US east coast from toxic dispersant chemical-laden rain

These guys are dangerous- often when they have to solve a big problem they are willing to risk creating an even bigger one

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

[SueRae]

How true. If I didn’t have the internet, I may have missed it. Prayers for the Russian people and pray for rain. ZThe peat bogs are on fire, and from what I understand, are extremely difficult to put out. May God bless and protect the fire and rescue workers.

[Pearls Before Swine]

liquidating the wildfires

Weirdly appropriate old-style Soviet phrasing, huh?

[DBrow]

I bet the fires do not show up as a change in global CO2. Theory says they must, though.

Vladimir Valentinovich Alexandrov was a Nuclear Winter (remember?) associate of Carl Sagan. He had just completed an analysis of a past gigantic Russian fire. Nuclear Winter theory said that the Earth’s climate had to have been impacted by such an event (drastic cooling). He was about to present his findings at a Spanish conference when he disappeared from his hotel room, never to be seen again. his conclusion was that there were NO climate effects from the fires, and he questioned the accuracy of Nuclear Winter theory and its predictions.

Now that we have gigatons of carbon entering the atmosphere at a rate that volcanoes would be proud of, Global Warming theories can be tested.

Everybody watch the weekly Mauna Key CO2 numbers and see if there is a huge uptick!

Likewise a downtick in global temperature (particulate), or will it go up (CO2 greenhouse effect)?

www.woodfortrees.org has tracking tools.

[Uncle Miltie]

[cookcounty]

"174,035 hectares "

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

[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.

[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

[wolfcreek]

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

[SunkenCiv]

...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.

Hey, at least someone in the bureaucracy is keeping statistics. ;')

[Cindy]

NOTE The following text is a quote:

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_5114.html

Travel Warning
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Print
Russian Federation

August 10, 2010

The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the risk of travel to the Russian Federation due to the ongoing wildfires. The Department of State has authorized the departure of dependents and non-critical mission personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. The Russian Government has declared a state of emergency in specific regions of the country, including the capital of Russia, Moscow. Air travel to Russia, including international flights, is affected. U.S. citizens are therefore urged to postpone travel to the Russian Federation until the situation has improved.

Ongoing forest fires and extreme high temperatures in the Moscow region and surrounding areas of central Russia have produced hazardous levels of air pollution and caused numerous flight delays and cancellations in Moscow. The hazardous air quality means that persons with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should seek to relocate to unaffected areas of the country and avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.

The situation has prompted the Russian government to declare a state of emergency in Moscow, Vladimir, Ryazan, Voronezh, Novgorod, the Republic of Mordovia, and the Republic of Marii-El.

Fire related conditions can change quickly, due to changes in wind direction and weather conditions. Persons planning travel from the Moscow area should monitor weather conditions and stay in touch with their airline.

U.S. citizens who have questions, or require assistance, should contact the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy through the State Department’s travel registration website.

If you require further information or assistance, please visit theU.S. Embassy Moscow website or e-mail us at MoscowWarden@State.gov. The U.S. Embassy Moscow consular section is located at Novinskiy Bulvar 21, Moscow. The nearest metro stations are Barrikadnaya and Krasnapresenskaya. You can reach the embassy’s switchboard at (7) (495) 728-5000, and the American Citizen Services Unit at (7) (495) 728-5577. In the event of an after-hours emergency, please contact the main switchboard. You may also contact the American Citizens Services Unit by fax at (7) (495) 728-5084. The U.S. Embassy Moscow website is also available in Russian at www.usembassy.ru.

U.S. Consulates General are located in:

St. Petersburg
15 Ulitsa Furshtadtskaya, St. Petersburg 191028
Tel: (7) (812) 331-2600
Fax: (7) (812) 331-2646
After-hours emergencies: (7) (812) 331-2600
Email: StPetersburgACS@state.gov

Vladivostok
32 Ulitsa Pushkinskaya, Vladivostok 690001
Tel: (7) (4232) 30-00-70
Fax: (7) (4232) 30-00-91
After-hours emergencies: (7) (4232) 71 00 67
Email: vladcons@state.gov

Yekaterinburg
Ulitsa Gogolya 15a, 4th floor, Yekaterinburg 620151
Tel: (7) (343)379-3001
Fax: (7) (343) 379-4515
After-hours emergencies: (7) 8 902 84 16653
Email: consulyekat@state.gov

Travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

For information on general crime and security issues, U.S. citizens should also consult the Department of State’s Country Specific Information of Russia as well as The Worldwide Caution Located on the Bureau of Consular Affairs website.

[af_vet_rr]

Now the US is sending specialized firefighting equipment to help protect the Russian areas with nuclear equipment/weapons.

Any bets as to how many of the Americans going along with the equipment are working for one of the three letter agencies ;-)