Fires in the Moscow region

There is a dangerous fire situation in the Moscow region's Shatura district, Alexei Saikov, the chief of the Firefighting Office of the Moscow region, told RIA Novosti. Fire has enveloped the region's peat forests, forcing the firefighters to bring in reserve equipment.

A similarly hazardous situation was reported from peatbogs situated in Pavlovsky Posad and Orekhovo-Zuyevo districts. As of today, 55 fires burning on the territory of the region cover an aggregate space of more than 85 hectares.

This year, the authorities of the Moscow region allocated 12 million rubles /1 dollar is over 30 rubles/ for the firefighting effort in the region. Since the beginning of the year, 7,132 fires have been reported from various populated areas outside Moscow, which is 2,425 fires more than the number registered last year. The fires claimed the lives of 522 people, 90 more than the number of victims in 2001.