Siberia remains on alert against wildfires

MOSCOW » Spring wildfires across Siberia have Russian authorities on alert for a potentially devastating summer season of blazes after an unusually warm and dry winter in one of the world’s climate-change hot spots. Some April fires in eastern Russia have already dwarfed the infernos at this time last year, which ultimately roared through 7 million acres in total and sent smoke drifting as far as the U.S. and Canada. Siberia is among the areas of the world showing the greatest temperature spikes attributed to climate change. This year, the average temperatures since January are running at least 5.4 degrees above the longterm average, according to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.