The governor of Kuzbass has invited all of the Russians who lost their homes in wildfires to stay in the southwest Siberian region until their homes are rebuilt, the regional administration's press service said.
Over the last 24 hours, over 1,000 homes have been destroyed and entire villages burned to the ground in the largest wildfire ever to hit the European part of Russia.
"The people of Kuzbass are shocked by what has happened in the European part of Russia where wildfires have burnt down a number of villages," a spokesman for the press service said.
He said the region was prepared to help those who lost their homes and that Governor Aman Tuleyev has invited all of those who were affected by the wildfires to temporarily live and work in the region until their homes are rebuilt.
Earlier on Friday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the government to take urgent additional measures to fight the fires and to allocate funds for damage compensation. Medvedev has also called for proposals to be drawn up on the purchase of additional firefighting equipment, including Be-200 aircraft.
Temperatures across much of western and central Russia have topped 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) during the past five weeks, causing peat bog and forest fires and creating what is thought to be the worst drought since 1972.
KEMEROVO, July 31 (RIA Novosti)
