Eight die as wildfires hit Russia

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Wildfires swept through dozens of villages in southern Russia, killing at least eight people and reducing more than 400 homes to smoldering ruins, officials said.

The blazes in the provinces on the Volga River southeast of Moscow followed wildfires that killed at least 54 in central Russia in July and August during Russia's worst heat wave ever recorded and prompted criticism of the government response.

Fires fanned by high winds and months of drought destroyed more than 500 buildings in at least 26 villages in Volgograd and Saratov provinces, injuring at least 17 people, Emergencies Ministry spokeswoman Yelena Chernova said.

Television pictures showed smoke rising from the blackened ruins of a village of wooden houses in the Volgograd region.

"Our house has burned down, everything has burned down. There's nothing left," said a middle-aged villager, her voice breaking as she spoke.

More than 2,500 people and at least five planes were involved in fighting the fires, the Emergencies Ministry said in a statement. Television pictures showed uniformed men running with buckets of water and shoveling dirt onto fires.

"We are working on localising the fires, the situation is under control," Chernova said.

Most of the fires were caused by human activity, with short circuits from electricity cables to blame for others, the Emergencies Ministry said.

- Reuters