The mountain of sawdust measuring more than 25 acres in size is located in the Ust-Kutsky district of Irkutsk region in Eastern Siberia. The Trans-Siberian Forest company, which manages the site is depositing 70 cubic meters (2,500 cubic feet) of sawdust waste each day to the 2 million cubic meters (70 million cubic feet) dump literally adding fuel to the fire.
Environmental activists have voiced concern as authorities expect the fire, visible from space, to continue burning for many years. Alexander Yaroshenko, head of the Forestry Programme of Greenpeace Russia told Siberian Times:
Over the past three years this fire has caused dangerous smoke to Ust-Kut and nearby settlements multiple times, with overall population of about 50,000 people. That is an emergency situation of at least regional scale.
The company says that all possible measures to prevent the spread of the blaze have been taken including a “mineral border line” around the saw dust mountain and firefighting equipment on permanent standby.
Heat wave conditions across Siberia, with the hottest June ever recorded, have sparked multiple wildfires across vast tracts of boreal forests in recent days. An extensive smoke blanket — which stretches across at least 2,000 miles of Siberia from west to east has engulfed the area.
