Russia's Khabarovsk region declares emergency over wildfires

A state of emergency was declared in Russia's far eastern Khabarovsk region on Monday, amid forest fires that have raged in other parts of the country.

“Today, I signed an order on the introduction of a state of emergency due to forest fires throughout the Khabarovsk Territory,” Khabarovsk Governor Mikhail Degtyarev said in a message on Telegram.

Degtyarev said dry and hot weather prevailed throughout the region, resulting in eight forest fires in six different districts since Sunday night.

Experts believe that almost all of the forest fires were caused by human factors, he said, adding that almost 300 personnel were working to put out the fires.

“We need to attract the maximum amount of resources to extinguish fires as quickly as possible,” he said.

Early last week, the regions of Tyumen, Kurgan, Sverdlovsk, and Omsk declared states of emergency due to forest fires caused by hot and dry temperatures, which have also spread to local settlements.

Last week, Russia's state news agency TASS reported that wildfires killed 21 people in the Kurgan region and another in the Tyumen region.