World News | Russia Evacuates Summer Camp Because of a Forest Fire

Moscow, Aug 15 (AP) Russian emergency officials said Sunday over 800 people have been evacuated from a summer camp in Russia's southern Urals because of a forest fire that raged just one kilometer (half a mile) away.

A total of 750 children and 87 personnel were evacuated from the camp in the Bashkortostan republic 1,180 kilometers (730 miles) east of Moscow, Russia's Emergency Ministry said.

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Firefighters were battling the blaze that prompted the evacuation and has covered one hectare (2.5 acres) of land.

Bashkortostan on Sunday was among five Russian regions most affected by the wildfires. According to Russia's aerial forest protection agency, Avialesookhrana, seven fires burned in Bashkortostan on Sunday on 1,293 hectares (3,195 acres).

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Overall, 246 fires are raging in Russia on 4.4 million hectares (10.8 million acres) on Sunday, with the Sakha Republic, also known as Yakutia, in northeastern Siberia accounting for the vast majority of them.

In recent years, Russia has recorded high temperatures that many scientists regard as a result of climate change.

The hot weather coupled with the neglect of fire safety rules has caused a growing number of wildfires that authorities say have consumed 15 million acres this year in Russia.

Experts in Russia decry a 2007 decision to disband a federal aviation network tasked to spot and combat fires, and turn over its assets to regional authorities. The much-criticized transfer led to the force's rapid decline. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)