The United States is ready to supply firefighting equipment to Russia to help deal with continuing wildfires and peat bog fires caused by abnormally hot weather, the Kremlin press service said.

U.S. President Barack Obama made a phone call to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev late on Thursday to express his condolences about the disastrous environmental situation in Central Russia.

"Obama reiterated the U.S. readiness to supply the necessary firefighting equipment and render expert assistance," reads the statement, posted on the kremlin.ru website.

A scorching heat wave has gripped much of European Russia since mid-June, which coupled with the worst drought since the 1970s has made the countryside particularly susceptible to wildfires.

Thousands of emergency workers and military personnel have been working round the clock for almost three weeks to fight fires in 22 Russian regions, which have so far killed more than 50 people and left over 3,500 homeless. The immediate economic cost of the fires has been estimated at $15 billion.

MOSCOW, August 13 (RIA Novosti)