at least 13 people died on Saturday in three Siberian regions of Russia – the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Kemerovo and Irkutsk regions. Due to the squalling wind and a break in power lines there, mass natural fires began there. They covered hundreds of buildings, the wind interfered with the efforts of firefighters. Two more people died a day earlier in the Omsk region, the Russian BBC service reports.
So, fires on Saturday covered almost two dozen settlements of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. According to the latest data, seven people were killed in the region, another 19 were injured, among them six firefighters. Anomalous fires damaged or destroyed 518 residential buildings, 309 buildings, 61 cars, the authorities said. The cause of fires is called short circuits on power lines: they were damaged by a squally wind, which then contributed to the rapid spread of fire. It is impossible to use aviation in fires due to strong wind load, the Russian Emergencies Ministry explained.
Four people died in a fire in the Tyazhinsky district of the Kemerovo region, they were told by Interfax in a single duty dispatch service. According to the service, 143 houses burned down, 224 people were left without housing, people temporarily accommodated with relatives.
Two large fires in the Bratsk and Taishet districts of the Irkutsk region were eliminated, the Ministry of Emergencies said in the regional department. Two people died as a result of fires in the Irkutsk region, said Governor Igor Kobzev. He also announced the introduction of emergency mode. About 30 fires were recorded in the region by the morning of Sunday.
Large fires occurred on Saturday in two settlements of the Irkutsk region. The authorities of the Krasnoyarsk Territory requested assistance in the neighboring regions in extinguishing mass fires, the regional government said.
On the eve of the Omsk region, six large fires were extinguished in settlements, 115 buildings were damaged by fire (of which 70 residential are). Two people died. The Omsk branch of the Red Cross begins the collection of humanitarian aid for people affected by fires.