MOSCOW, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- A state of emergency had been declared in Altai region, southern Siberia, where wildfires were raging in 15 areas, local media reported Thursday.
The fires initially started in neighboring Kazakhstan, where temperatures reached 35 degrees Celsius, and were driven across the border by strong winds.
Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry dispatched 120 firefighting vehicles and 600 men to the fire-affected Altai areas. Four helicopters and three planes have also been engaged in putting out the fires, which have already destroyed 334 buildings and left 1,000 people homeless.
In the past 24 hours, 65 new fires have started in Russia, according to the ministry.
The Interior Ministry ordered its personnel in the fire-affected areas to prevent looting and re-issue papers for the people who lost them in blazes.
