Over 10,000 hectares of land have burned in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area since fire season started this summer, TASS reports quoting the local Civil Defense and Fire Safety Department.

"Since the fire season started in Yamal, we've experienced a total of 283 natural fires covering an area of 10,019 hectares," the department said. "Twenty-three fires have yet to be fully contained. In the last 24 hours, over 1,000 more hectares have burned."

"Firefighters have put out 12 fires in the last 24 hours over an area of 1,043 hectares. Nine new fires have started in the past 24 hours. Nearly 600 firefighters and 16 helicopters are involved in the firefighting effort. A state of emergency has been declared," the department spokesman said. An Il-76 firefighting aircraft is to arrive in the region next weekend to help stop the blazes.