Wildfires have been raging in the Voronezh Region since July, 26. A state of emergency was declared three days ago as the fires moved closer to inhabited rural areas.
Wildfires have been raging in the Voronezh Region since July, 26. A state of emergency was declared three days ago as the fires moved closer to inhabited rural areas.
As of July 29, 3,000 hectares around Voronezh had been engulfed by flames. The fires have destroyed three holiday camps and 20 private houses. Three hospitals were evacuated, as were the children and staff at 10 sports camps.
Forest fires continue to burn near the village of Maslovka in the Kozhevenny forest, on Zemlyachka Street not too far from the Elektronika hospital and near the Severny used car market.
Wildfires damaged power lines, cutting off power to some suburban areas, including the Ramonsky district and the Otrozhki, Mashmeta and Semiluk villages.
The Emergencies Ministry has dispatched all the staff and equipment available to fight the wildfires. Additional firefighting units will be arriving soon from around the region.
Two sections of the M4 Don federal highway were closed due to the fires.
Flames have consumed about 50 hectares near the village of Maslovka (the Levoberezhny district of the Voronezh Region)
High temperatures and strong winds have allowed the fire to spread very fast. Twenty houses have burned down in Maslovka.
Rescue teams evacuated residents from the streets bordering the forests. Psychologists from the EMERCOM regional office are helping people cope with the shock.
The Prosecutor’s Office of the Voronezh Region has taken control of the situation, a spokesperson announced on July 27.
The forest fire near the Severny used car market started around 2:05 pm (Moscow time) on July 29 and has burned 12 hectares so far.
Fire fighters managed to contain the fire around the car market. No casualties were reported, the ministry announced on July 30.
Maslovka village fire aftermath.
