Volunteers, charity and public organizations as well the Russian Orthodox Church have started collecting money and articles of prime necessity for Russian whose homes were destroyed in wildfires.
Wildfires raging in central Russia due to abnormally hot weather have claimed 30 lives, left 2,210 people homeless and caused damages worth over 4.6 billion rubles ($150 million), the Ministry for Regional Development said on Sunday.
The wildfires have affected 14 Russian regions, destroyed a total of 1,875 homes, with the largest destructions observed in the Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh and Ryazan regions, the ministry said, citing data as of late July 31.
"Many people show compassion and offer aid," volunteer Yelizaveta Oleshkina told RIA Novosti. She added that Moscow's activist have already collected a package of articles of prime necessity for a village in fire ravaged Ryazan Region. "People will run the aid up to the village themselves," she said.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, called on Russians to help fire-affected and priests to give solace to people.
He also blessed a charity organization to collect articles of prime necessity for peoples whose homes were destroyed. Special collecting points will operate in orthodox churches the next three Sundays.
MOSCOW, August 1 (RIA Novosti)
