30/7 Tass 113
MOSCOW, July 30 (Itar-Tass) —— A big forest fire has been extinguished in the southern Rostov region.
“As of 17:00 Moscow time, the fire was fully extinguished,” the press service of the Southern Regional Centre of the Emergencies Ministry told Itar-Tass on Saturday, July 30.
The fire caused by hot weather started in a big forested area in the Oblivsky District on July 26 and quickly spread because of a strong wind, threatening villages just 5-9 kilometres away.
The regional and local authorities acted quickly and set up teams of firefighters, rescuers and forest rangers to respond to the emergency. None of the local residents was injured.
The fire affected an area of 1,400 hectares. Some 700 people, a Mi-8 helicopter and an Il-76 plane were involved in the firefighting operation.