Five people died and scores were injured when a wildfire caused by the burning of dry grass swept through southern Siberia, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents, Russian officials said.
Sixty-two people have been hospitalised and 11 of them are in a serious condition.
"Three men and two women, died in the fires," Irina Emelianova, a spokesman for the southern region of Siberia, was quoted as saying by the Ria Novosti news agency yesterday.
Some 560 people have been moved from their homes to holiday campsites or temporary accommodation, regional authorities said.
Russia's emergency ministry said that eight planes and helicopters, fire prevention trains and over 5,000 people have been mobilised to control the fire, but that strong winds were making the task difficult.
Fire-fighters managed to put out 16 fires threatening villages and contained 17 others but continued to battle the flames, the ministry said.
"More than 900 buildings in 42 villages have been affected by the fire," a ministry spokesman told Russian news agencies.
Authorities have called on "residents of the region to battle the fire, which began because of residents themselves after uncontrolled grass burning," the ministry said on its website.
Spring and autumn burning of dry grass regularly results in massive wildfires that often cause extensive damage to homes and human life.
