President Dmitry Medvedev appealed on Monday to Russians to help the victims of a number of deadly wildfires that have engulfed the country's central regions since Thursday.
At least 40 people have died and over 2,000 have been left homeless by the fires, which were caused by consistent temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). The damage caused by the flames is estimated at over 4.6 billion rubles ($150 million) with a total of 1,875 homes destroyed.
"I signed a decree today declaring a state of emergency in a number of regions... But a lot depends on our behavior," Medvedev said in his blog.
"The government, of course, understands its responsibility. But that does not mean that we, citizens of Russia, should stay away from the common misfortune. People are already uniting to help those who lost everything in a second," he continued.
Muscovites have begun collecting donations for those left homeless by the wildfires by posting appeals on the Internet.
Medvedev said emergency workers are doing their best to extinguish the fires.
"The situation is still very difficult; the heat is not abating; the forecasts are not looking good, so the threat of new fires is not decreasing," he said.
"Over 2,000 people have been left homeless. Among them are children, the elderly and sick people... This is a huge tragedy," he added.
MOSCOW, August 2 (RIA Novosti)
