VOLGOGRAD, August 11 (Itar-Tass) — Police in Russia’s southern Volgograd region have detained a man and a woman who are believed to be responsible for the steppe fire which nearly reached the settlement of Kamensky, a spokesman for the regional interior administration told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
According to Anton Kornaukhov, the man and the woman built a campfire on the Losiny island on the River Don. Strong wind brought sparks from the campfire to the mainland.
According to earlier reports, the steppe fire that loomed large over the settlement of Kamensky was extinguished.
The fire destroyed four auxiliary buildings in the settlement and damaged the roof over a bathhouse. Dwelling houses were not damaged by fire. No one was hurt.
In the mean time, a wildfire is raging on an area of 1,252 hectares in another district of the Volgograd region. Fire fighting operations there involve about 900 men.