Volunteers from Samara University Saved the Racheysky Forest

The recent forest fire in the Racheysky Forest has become a serious test for local firefighters and foresters. Volunteers from Samara University also came to help the firefighters.

On Saturday, October 5, at 6 a.m., the bus with the team of twenty people left the University campus for the headquarters to be deployed in the village of Smolkino. Workers of the Racheysky forestry had been waiting for volunteers there.

Having instructed in detail on behaving in a forest fire, shouldering a satchel with water for extinguishing, armed with shovels, rakes and personal protective equipment, students and University staff began working each in their own area: workers of the headquarters distributed volunteers in dependence of their training.

Volunteers were involved in extinguishing the remaining burning and smoldering areas along the edge of the affected quarter. Due to fire trucks to be on duty there, which also participated in extinguishing the edge, the volunteers received constant access to water.

It was also important to prevent the spread of fire beyond the mineralized strip – the dug-up areas of land cleared of combustible materials to the mineral layer of the soil, the main purpose of which is to delay the spread of a grassroots fire.

When acting in a forest fire, safety measures are: first, beware of trees with charred roots; on Saturday they still stood, but could start falling at any moment, and it was impossible to predict the fall. Secondly, it was necessary to stay at least 10 meters away from the firefighting mineralized strip. However, new outbreaks sometimes forced volunteers to move deeper into the forest, for the purpose of eliminating as many consequences of the fire as possible.

“Interaction between volunteers and professionals – firefighters and foresters – was organized at the highest level”, says Olga Kalashnikova, head of Samara University’s group, Associate Professor of the Department of Ecology and Life Safety. “Our group had two breaks for having a snack, one of which took place right in the forest, which allowed us to quickly regain strength and continue working. Already sitting in the bus on the way to Samara, the students said that they were ready to continue working more and more. It is noteworthy that before we could finish the work, it started raining. I hope this was the beginning of the rainy weather! I think it turned out symbolic”.

The fire in the relict Racheysky Forest raged for almost a week. And although the smoke in the forest on Saturday was minimal, thick smoke and acrid smell complicated the situation in the foci. Because of thick smoke, it was impossible to estimate the depth of the areas affected. In some places, there were open fires to be promptly extinguished by firefighters, with volunteers managing to eliminate small fires on their own.

“Unfortunately, a large part of the Racheysky Forest nature monument was affected by fire. Only small areas along the edges of the taiga have been preserved. Significant areas with rare species of ground pines, pyrolas and other northern species found in such a combination of species exclusively in this place, and areas with relict pines have been lost”, summed up Olga Kalashnikova the eco-disaster. “Our volunteers returned to Samara late in the evening, feeling satisfied with the work they had done: after all, the fire was stopped! This situation has confirmed that together we are able to overcome many difficulties, protecting nature and preserving it for future generations”.

Photo: Olga Kalashnikova