Head of Tatarstan Ministry of Emergency Situations Rafis Khabibullin: Continuous hot weather and lack of rainfall cause concern about fire hazardous situation

On June 6, at a regional meeting at Tatarstan Government House, Head of Tatarstan Ministry for Civil Defence and Emergency Situations Rafis Khabibullin offered introducing an emergency regime in the republic from June 7, 2014 and a special fire preventive regime from June 7 to July 1, 2014 until further orders because of hot and dry weather and fire hazardous season.

Continuous hot weather and lack of rainfall cause concern about fire hazardous situation, Rafis Khabibullin said. He noted as well that the number of registered fires for the period from the beginning of the year has been at the same level as that of 2013, the number of fire victims from the beginning of 2014 is 99 people.

From the beginning of the year, fire brigades have been responding to fires 1446 times (including garbage ignition and forest fires), that is by 60 per cent more than last year.

Cases when two or more houses are burning at the same time became frequent, Rafis Khabibullin said. He asked to pay closer attention to agricultural facilities.

Head of Tatarstan MES told that together with the Ministry of Forestry they are taking measures to prevent forest fires in the republic.

Rustam Minnikhanov said that nowadays we have to take the same measures as in the period of drought in 2010. He also reminded that fires are registered in many regions today, and the situation is very difficult.