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Wildfires return to Russia, destroy 400 homes
Wildfires returned to Russia, sweeping through several villages in Siberia and burning down more than 400 homes.
Published: 9:26PM BST 08 Sep 2010
A firefighter works to extinguish fire in the village of Lapshinskaya, destroyed by wildfires Photo: REUTERS
No casualties were reported from the flames in the Altai region bordering Kazakhstan that followed wildfires which killed 54 in central Russia in July and August, during Russia's worst heat wave since records began 130 years ago. Emergencies Ministry spokesman Irina Andrianova told RIA news agency that 433 homes were torched in one village, Nikolayevka, 15 km (9 miles) from the Kazakh border, leaving 1,166 people without shelter.
The wildfires originated from Kazakhstan, the ministry website said, amid strong gusts of wind. President Dmitry Medvedev pledged compensation for the victims and ordered the Altai regional governor to determine which officials were responsible for the failure to prevent the fire-driven devastation, the Kremlin's press office said. Some 250 workers were mobilised to put out the fires, Ms Andrianova said.
