Still, firefighters reported making some headway against the
blazes that have destroyed hundreds of homes, burned through vast sections of
tinder-dry land and forced thousands to evacuate.
Vladimir Stepanov, head of Russia's Emergencies Ministry's
crisis center, said about 500 new wildfires were sparked nationwide in the past
24 hours but most of them were immediately doused.
"Most importantly, the mission we are tasked with — to
avert the spread of fires to population centers, and to avoid more death — is
being accomplished," Stepanov said in televised comments.
Even so, Russians remained wary, as lull in the most intense
heat wave since the country began keeping records 130 years ago appeared to be
ending. Experts predicted a new week of temperatures hitting 100 degrees (38
degrees Celsius).
Muscovites awoke Monday to a sharp burning smell from the
smoldering peat bogs south and east of the capital, haze that has increased the
city's already-high pollution readings.
Wildfires were still burning Monday across 309,000 acres
(125,000 hectares), mostly in central and western Russia, slightly less than
the area torched over the weekend, Stepanov said.
About 1,500 homes have been wiped out by fires, spurred by
the heat wave that has dried forests and fields to a crisp.
Russian news reports said the bodies of two children, aged 7
and 9, were found Monday in a village outside Moscow that had been destroyed by
fire. It was not yet clear if they were included in the death toll of 34.
A state of emergency was still in effect Monday in 14
regions, including around Moscow and the southern cities of Voronezh and Nizhny
Novgorod, about 300 miles (475 kilometers) east of the capital.
In the half-destroyed village of Maslovka near Voronezh,
emergency officials handed out food and clothing to residents Monday as the
heavy smoke and smog cleared. In the nearby village of Shuberovskoye, which
also had been decimated by fire, locals complained that they were abandoned by
firefighters.
"Nobody came to us and nobody helped us," said
Anna Izmakina, 79. "We called by phone several times, trying to call
firefighters — they set off, but never arrived." She said she managed to
salvage a few possessions before fire engulfed her home.
Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu urged Russians
vacationing in rural areas to be especially vigilant about disposing of
flammable materials, since barbecues are a popular activity.
Russian news agencies reported that some of those rendered
homeless by the blazes received the first part of a 200,000-ruble compensation
package ($6,600) promised on Friday by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
