Five people dead in Siberia fires, over 500 lost their homes

Five people were reported dead and 17 more injured in the Krasnoyarsk region of Russia, TASS cites the local emergency services. 

Russia’s Investigative Committee has initiated criminal proceedings for ‘wrongful death of two or more people.’ 

Fifteen localities in the Krasnoyarsk region are currently on fire, 14 of them are reported contained, and a state of emergency is in place. Strong winds of up to 40 m/s and dust storms make firefighting operations even more challenging. About 300 buildings were damaged, including residential buildings, support facilities and saw mills, according to TASS. 

Russia’s Federal Agency for Forestry reports 350 buildings burned to the ground ‘due to short circuits at power lines and substations’. 231 people lost their homes in the Krasnoyarsk region. Aleksandr Uss, the local governor, has requested humanitarian aid from other regions. 

Meanwhile, eight localities are on fire in the Omsk region, leaving 288 people homeless, including 80 children, says Aleksandr Burkov, the local governor. A total of 94 residential buildings were destroyed. The Omsk authorities also blame strong winds of up to 30 m/s for challenges. 

A school was destroyed by fire in Polovina-Cheremkhovo, Irkutsk region, its students will join other education facilities now. A state of emergency was introduced in some parts of the region recently. 

Russia has suffered from forest fires since early May. There are currently fires in 77 out of 85 Russian regions.