The number of fires in the vast north Asian region of Siberia increased fivefold this week, according to the Russian forest fire aerial protection service, as temperatures in the Arctic continued higher than normal in the latest sign of the ongoing climate crisis.

The news of the increase comes a week after the small Siberian town of Verkhoyansk reported a high temperature of 100.4° F on June 20, a reading that, if confirmed, would mark the hottest day ever recorded in the region.

“While fires are common at this time of year, record temperatures and strong winds are making the situation particularly worrying,” the European Union’s Earth Observation Programme, which is monitoring the situation, said in a statement.

As the Associated Press