Forest fires blaze across Siberia

Nearly 20,000 acres of Siberian taiga are on fire today as a result of picnickers’ carelessness and warm, dry weather, emergency officials said.

A total of 141 fires have enveloped 19,377 acres of forest in Siberia and the Russian Far East, said Vitaly Tropynin, a duty officer at the Siberian regional emergencies department.