VORONEZH -- Forest fires in central Russia have killed at least eight people and forced the evacuation of thousands amid an ongoing heatwave.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on July 30 flew to the central Nizhny Novgorod region, where at least 540 homes have been destroyed by fires, for an emergency meeting with local officials.
He visited Verkhnyaya Vereya, a village completely destroyed by the flames, and pledged to build new houses for all 500 residents.
"We will send money to the region and [regional authorities] will choose a company that will rebuild the whole village for acceptable prices before winter," Putin said.
Putin also promised each resident of the village compensation of more than $6,600.
The Emergency Situations Ministry has registered 779 forest and peat fires across Russia. More than 238,000 people had been deployed to fight the blazes.
The temperature in the Russian capital on July 29 was reported to have risen above 38 degrees Celsius -- the highest since records began 130 years ago.
The heatwave, which has engulfed central parts of European Russia and Siberia since June, has also caused significant losses to the wheat crop, lowering the country's expected exports this year.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Google+