The Coldest City in the World is on Fire

By Dejah Miles
Spectrum Staff Writer

             Oymyakon, Russia, has been considered the coldest inhabited place on Earth and within that region is Yakutsk, the coldest city in the world. Yakutsk has a population of slightly more than 282,000 people who live through the extremely cold weather. The lowest temperature in the northern hemisphere of -90°F, was recorded in Oymyakon on Feb. 6, 1933, according to guinessworldrecords.com.
            Due to the fridge’s difficult weather conditions, Yakutsk residents take many precautions to keep themselves warm and safe. To survive outside, the people in Yakutsk wear many layers of clothing lined with fur. “In big cities, buildings are usually heated by hot water flowing through the pipes, and in the small villages, they usually use the traditional wood-fired heating system called the Russian stove,” according to a YouTuber, who goes by Kiun B.
            Despite the cold weather that the area is known for, it faces new struggles due to drastic changes in its climate. Scientists have warned wildfires are thawing parts of Siberia that are normally frozen all year long, but are now beginning to thaw, according to BBC News. Extreme heat combined with Yakutsk’s dry climate causes these fires an effect of climate change. Summer can get pretty hot, and in 2011, the area set a heat record temperature of 101.12 °F, according to YouTubers Steven and Pierre’s channel The WHV Nomads.
            According to the Moscow Times, heavy smoke due to wildfires that blanketed many cities in Siberia, including the inhabited area of Yakutsk, prompted authorities to issue stay-at-home orders. “Summer’s forest fires have released ‘airpocalypse’ toxic smoke that has caused difficulties with her family’s ability to breathe properly,” Kiun B. observed. 
            This won’t be the last of forest fires to come, University of Alaska System scientists predict that northern regions of the planet will continue to see more wildfires due to the climate crisis.