Russia's Putin urges stronger response to Siberian wildfires

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged authorities to strengtnen their efforts to fight wildfires in northeastern Siberia, calling the situation “unprecedented.”

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday urged authorities to strengthen their efforts to fight wildfires across northeastern Siberia, calling the situation “unprecedented” as fires threatened people's homes. Speaking in a video call with top officials, Putin noted that 13 forest fires in the Sakha-Yakutia region are raging within five kilometers (3 miles) of populated areas and emphasized the need to closely monitor the situation to protect residents. Yakutia is the largest of Russia's 85 regions, a vast territory bigger than Argentina. It has faced a spell of particularly devastating wildfires this year following months of hot, dry weather and record-breaking temperatures. Flames previously threatened a dozen of villages, and several were evacuated. The provincial capital of Yakutsk, several other cities and hundreds of villages have been blanketed in choking smoke from the blazes. Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev reported to Putin on Saturday that his ministry has deployd 5,000 personnel, 765 vehicles and 19 aircraft to combat the wildfires in Yakutia.