The situation with hellish fires might further complicate in 17 Russian regions with favorable situation for the spread of fires, said the ringleader of Emergency Situations Ministry (ESM) Sergei Shoigu.
According to him, serious situation arose in Vladimir and Moscow regions as well as in Karelia, where the "downstream" fires turned "upstream". Earlier, Russian officials spoke about "stormy fires".
Shoigu said that "upstream" fires are spreading much more quickly, in Nizhny Novgorod region fiery tornadoes move at a speed of 100 meters per minute.
"We have a fire area of 82,000 hectares which emerged in 6 hours. Fiery tornadoes jumped over 250-meter lakes like a puddle", Shoigu reported.
According to Shige, the main task for him is now to protect Russian population and facilities of economic importance.
"A part of our work is connected with facilities of the correctional system (famous Russian GULAG - KC), which are mainly located in forests, as well as potentially dangerous production facilities", said the ringleader of the ESM.
Russian authorities say that in one day, the area of fires increased by more than 27,5 thousand hectares.
It is to be mentioned that earlier, independent experts indicated that Russian authorities lie and understate the number of fires, their total area and casualties in dead, wounded and homeless Russians.
The reasons for the fire spread were given as "dry and windy weather, mass going of people to the woods, careless handling of fires, as well as inaccessibility of places where the wildfires are occurring for firefighters", Russian authorities claim.
According to official figures of the ESM for Saturday morning, there are allegedly only 28 burnt dead Russians. 3 more burnt dead Russians were found Saturday morning in the burnt village of Upper Vereya of Vyksunsk district.
Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 7 Russians in the village of Mokhovoye Lukhovitsy, Moscow district, Russians reported on Saturday afternoon. A 75-year-old man reportedly died in the regional burn clinic.
The Emergency Situations Ministry also made it clear that the number of fire hotbeds increased by 10, and the fire area increased by 5 thousand hectares in Nizhny Novgorod region in comparison with July 29. In the Voronezh region, an increase by 5 hotbeds of fire was reported, and the fire area increased by 113 hectare. In Vladimir region, there were two more hotbeds and the fire area increased by more than 8 hectares.
Fires are threatening more than 200 settlements, according to the Emergency Situations Ministry.
20 fires are continuing to rage in Moscow suburbs, more than 40 in Nizhny Novgorod region, many of them close to settlements. Forests and entire villages are burning. Fires destroyed over 1,100 houses and buildings. Thousands of Russians were chased out of their houses and became refugees. The fires are spreading so quickly that Russians do not have time to pick up their belongings in their houses before fleeing.
Meanwhile, according to the BBC News, forest fires are approaching a secret Russian nuclear arms plant in Sarov. Russian authorities report nothing about dangers.
Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center
