Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- At least 28 people have been killed and thousands left homeless by wildfires sweeping through western Russia, authorities said Saturday.
The Russian government said it has sent some 240,000 people to fight the blazes, which are among the worst ever to hit the region, the Interfax news agency reported. Two firefighters were among the dead, the Itar-Tass news agency reported, citing the Emergency Ministry.
The fires have destroyed 1,257 homes across 14 regions, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said. It said 2,825 people have been left homeless.
A hot, dry summer has been a key factor in the fires, drying out large parts of land and igniting the peat bogs that lie all over central Russia.
The government has sent 226 aircraft to fight the fires, Sergei Shaposhnikov, the head of the civil defense department at the Emergency Situations Ministry, told Interfax.
CNN
