"EcoWatch" claims understatement of official data on scale of landscape fire

On March 6, in the Krasnodar residential district of Hydraulic Engineers, a dry cane caught fire on the territory of the Pavlovsky flooded area in the floodplain zone of the KubanRiver. The major part of the territory is supposed to be allocated for construction of multi-storey buildings, the "Ecological Watch on Northern Caucasus" (EcoWatch) reports.

"The smell of burning was clearly felt throughout the eastern part of the city... According to the press service of the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE) for the KrasnodarTerritory, rescue teams succeeded in coping with the fire by half past eight. The STRC (State TV and Radio Company) 'Kuban' reports with reference to the MfE for the KrasnodarTerritory that 200 square meters were affected by the fire," states the report posted on the website of the "EcoWatch" on March 7.

No one was hurt as a result of the fire, the STRC "Kuban" reports with reference to the press service of the MfE for the KrasnodarTerritory.

According to the activists of the "EcoWatch", who visited the fire place on March 7, the area affected by the fire was 2-3 hectares. "In the coming days, the activists of the 'EcoWatch' will measure the exact area of the burnt vegetation and calculate the environmental damage," states the report released by the "EcoWatch".

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.