Death toll from Russian wildfires reaches 34

[August 02, 2010]  MOSCOW (AP) -- At least 34 people have died in wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and burned through vast spans of tinder-dry land, but firefighters are making headway and the blazes are dying down, a Russian official said Monday.

Vladimir Stepanov, who heads the Emergencies Ministry's crisis response center, said in televised comments that some 500 new fires were sparked nationwide in the past 24 hours, but that most of them were immediately doused.

"Most importantly, the mission we are tasked with -- to avert the spread of fires to population centers, and to avoid more death -- is being accomplished," Stepanov said.

Even so, Russians remained watchful, as a modest lull in the most intense heat wave since the country began keeping records 130 years ago appeared to be ending. Experts predicted a new week of temperatures that could approach 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius), offering another opportunity for fires to spread.

Officials said over the weekend that 28 people across the country had died in the fires, which by Sunday had engulfed an area equivalent to 316,000 acres (128,000 hectares) mostly in central and western Russia. By Monday, the area had shrunk by a further 7,000 acres (2,800 hectares), Stepanov said.

About 1,500 homes have been wiped out by fires, spurred by the heat wave that has dried forests and fields to a crisp. Thousands of people have been evacuated from areas in the path of flames

A state of emergency was still in effect Monday in 14 regions, including around Moscow, the southern city of Voronezh and Nizhny Novgorod, about 300 miles (475 kilometers) east of Moscow.

In the half-destroyed village of Maslovka, near Voronezh, emergency officials were supplying locals with food and clothing on Monday, and the smoke and smog that enveloped the wider area over the last few days had completely dispersed.

Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday called for Russians vacationing in rural areas to be especially vigilant when disposing of flammable materials. Woodland and lakeside barbecues are a popular activity for vacationing Russians.

Smog from peat bog fires to the south and east has periodically shrouded Moscow, multiplying already high pollution readings. Muscovites on Monday awoke to a fresh blanket of haze, which carried a pungent burning smell.

Russian news agencies reported that those rendered homeless by the blazes were on Monday receiving the first tranches of 200,000 ruble compensation packages ($6,600) promised on Friday by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

[Associated Press; By DAVID NOWAK]

Associated Press writer Mikhail Metzel contributed to this report from Maslovka, Russia.

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