Russia’s Emergencies Ministry is sending more personnel and special equipment in order to combat fires in Siberia and protect populated localities, Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov said, TASS reports.
"The holiday season has begun, the weather is unlikely to help us. In accordance with the president’s order, we are sending more personnel and equipment to fight fires in the Irkutsk region and other Siberian regions," he added.
An The Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft, capable of dropping 42 tonnes of water on a fire site at a time, has arrived in the Irkutsk region, as well as a Beriev Be-200 amphibious aircraft.
Puchkov also said that "some homes and infrastructure facilities burned down but they will be restored. "The main thing is to protect the people," the minister stressed.
At the same time, he pointed out that a state of emergency remained in effect in the Siberian Federal District.
On Friday, nearly 100 homes in the Republic of Buryatia, the Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk regions were destroyed by fires caused by hot and dry weather and fanned by gusty winds. There have been no casualties.
