The EU has set aside over 80,000 euros ($104,000) to help Russians affected by wildfires, the Delegation of the EU to Russia said on Tuesday.

It said the EU had put aside a total of 81,589 euros to immediately assist 1,700 families that have lost their homes and livelihoods due to fires in the Voronezh, Belgorod, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, and Moscow regions.

The aid, in the form of foodstuffs, bedding, clothing, detergents, and other vital supplies, will be distributed through the International Foundation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

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 the fires in 22 regions that have claimed 53 lives and left over 3,500 people homeless. The immediate economic cost of the fires has been estimated at $15 billion.

MOSCOW, August 17 (RIA Novosti)