Emergency warning for May 19, 2026 (high fire danger)

      Dear citizens! The Federal State Budgetary Institution "Administration for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring of the Republic of Tatarstan" has issued:

      Storm warning for the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan

      From May 19 to May 25, 2026, there will be a high fire danger in the forests of the Republic of Tatarstan (class 4).

      From May 20 to May 25, 2026, there are expected to be areas of extreme fire danger in the forests of the Republic of Tatarstan (class 5).

      The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Republic of Tatarstan warns:

      Indirect signs of a fire: a persistent smell of burning, fog-like smoke, restless behavior of birds, animals, insects, their migration in one direction, a night glow on the horizon.

      How to extinguish a forest fire? By sweeping the edge of the fire with branches of deciduous trees; throwing loose soil onto the edge of the fire and creating earth strips, wide ditches in the path of the fire's movement.

      What to do if the fire approaches a populated area? It is necessary to evacuate people, primarily children, women, and the elderly. People should be led or transported in a direction perpendicular to the spread of the fire. Movement should only be along roads, as well as along rivers and streams, and sometimes even on the water itself. In case of heavy smoke, cover your mouth and nose with a wet cotton-gauze bandage, towel, or part of your clothing. Take documents, money, and essential items with you. Personal belongings can be saved in stone buildings without burning structures or simply in a pit covered with earth.

      If evacuation is impossible (mass fires in populated areas), the only option left is to wait it out, taking shelter in sealed stone buildings, civil defense shelters, or large open areas, stadiums, etc.

      If you discover a fire in the forest, do not panic. First, quickly analyze the situation. You need to climb to a high point of the terrain or climb a tall tree, find the location of the fire's source, determine the direction and speed of the fire's spread, and notice the location of water bodies, swamps, edges, and populated areas.

      If the path is cut off, take shelter from the fire on islands, shallows, in swamps, on rocky peaks, etc. Choose shelter locations far from trees - they can fall silently when their roots burn during a fire. When the fire approaches, thoroughly soak your clothes with water, lie down in the water, but not near reeds. In shallow water, wrap yourself completely in a sleeping bag that has been soaked in water. If you find yourself at the fire's source, periodically turn over, moisten dry areas of clothing, and protect your face with a multi-layered bandage, preferably made of gauze, which you should keep moist. If you find yourself in the fire's source, remove all nylon, nylon, and other melting clothing, and get rid of flammable and easily ignitable gear.

      If you come across a small fire in the forest, you must take immediate action to stop it and, if possible, send someone to the nearest populated area or forestry for help.

      How to behave during forest fires

      A fire in the forest most often occurs due to human negligence - this includes careless handling of fire, an unextinguished campfire, a discarded match or cigarette, and children's pranks. Sometimes lightning can cause a fire, but such cases are quite rare. What should you know if you have to face the fiery element in the forest? How to prevent a forest fire? What to do if a fire has already started?

      How to try to prevent a fire in the forest

      First - preparation for a trip or hike. It is recommended to take a bucket, an axe, and a shovel with you. This is, of course, good if you are going in a group of five or more people. But what if it’s a solo hike? A solo tourist will not overload themselves with buckets and axes. For a solo hike (not only due to the risk of fire), it is advisable to purchase a folding spade with a case and sharpen its edges. Thus, it will serve you as both a shovel and an axe.

      Second - when making a fire in the forest, it is necessary to strictly observe all safety measures. Such measures include everything related to fire in general. A campfire should never be made under trees, especially under those whose lower branches are at a low height. You should not make a fire where there is a lot of dry grass or where dry stumps are nearby. The place for the fire should be prepared in advance or try to use an old fire pit that you come across.

      During the stop

      The golden rule number one - never leave a fire unattended! Keep prepared fuel three to five meters away from the burning fire. Do not make a very high fire unless there is a special need (such as a signal fire). Ensure that the fire produces as few sparks as possible, especially in windy weather. When lighting a fire in windy conditions, consider its strength and direction, as flying sparks can ignite grass or tree leaves. Try not to use branches with dry foliage as fuel (they burn like gunpowder), because sparks will not just fly from the fire, but whole smoldering leaves. Stock up on water if there is a water body nearby and you have a suitable container.

      When leaving the stop, the fire must be thoroughly extinguished, doused with water, and covered with earth. If you removed the turf, cover the fire pit with pieces of turf. When leaving, make sure that the fire is out and will not reignite some time after your departure. Leave the area clean, and as they say, have a good trip.

      What to do when encountering a fire in the forest

      If you discover a starting fire - for example, a small grass fire or smoldering forest litter at a campfire left by someone, try to extinguish it yourself. Sometimes it is enough just to stomp out the flames (however, you need to wait and make sure that the grass or litter is not smoldering, otherwise the fire may reappear).

      Try to assess the situation correctly. Based on the specific conditions, decide whether you will extinguish the fire yourself or if you will need help. Do not overestimate your abilities. If you see a fire, try to extinguish it, but nothing works, and it only gets stronger, you need to leave in time to avoid trouble.

      It is optimal to find a way to quickly notify the emergency services. These can be the Ministry of Emergency Situations services (phone "01"), the Unified Dispatching Service (phone - "112"), rangers, foresters. In a group hike, one member should take the heavy equipment from another and send it as a messenger to the nearest populated area or to the highway for help. The other group members should leave the route and exit the fire area. Do not lose sight of each other.

      Consider sudden changes in the situation (changes in wind speed and direction). Try to leave without "competing with the fire in speed," that is, against the wind or perpendicular to the wind direction, preferably downhill, seeking reliable barriers to the fire (wide strips of mineral soil and rivers). Often the only safe zone is burned areas, unless they are peat bogs.

      Keep in mind that fire spreads quickly with the wind and slower against it, and uphill much faster than downhill.

      Be aware of the daily fire regime. Often, burning starts in the morning after the dew dries (around 9-10 AM) and stops with the evening dew (8-9 PM). At night, the fire "sleeps." The fire acts most strongly and spreads quickly during midday - from 1 PM to 5 PM. Before it rains, the fire's intensity increases in the evening. In very dry, hot weather (class 5), fires also spread at night, although usually only in the form of surface and litter fires.

      If the fire source is small

      If you noticed a budding fire in time and the fire source has a small area, you can decide to localize and extinguish it yourself. If there is a water body nearby, douse the fire with water, or you can beat down the flames with wet material. Burning grass can be extinguished using a "broom" made of broken branches. In this case, you need to strike with sliding movements, as if sweeping, towards the main fire. The "broom" should be turned in your hands after every few strikes so that it does not catch fire itself, and its heated side has time to cool down a bit.

      Caution, peat bogs are burning

      This phenomenon is very frightening and very dangerous. The acrid smoke stings the eyes, and it is very difficult to breathe. You need to leave the disaster zone in the direction of the wind so that the smoke and fire remain behind you. Hot ground beneath your feet means only one thing: you are in great danger. During peat burning, the fire often goes underground, where it burns entire areas, creating voids. It is easy to fall into such a hell, and the consequences are usually dire. When moving in such conditions, probe the road ahead with a long pole. This will look almost the same as moving through a swamp.

      Remember that the temperature of burning peat in the embers is around 600 degrees, and it can be extremely difficult to escape.

      After leaving the fire zone

      After leaving the fire zone, it is necessary to report the disaster