MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. A forest fire has killed one person in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, an emergency source told TASS on Saturday.

"One person has been killed in a wildfire in the Chelyabinsk region. According to preliminary reports, he refused to evacuate after the fire had spread to his settlement," the source said.

Regional Governor Alexei Teksler confirmed that the body of a person born in 1943 was found in the Dzhabyk settlement.

Earlier reports said that 18 people had sought medical assistance due to wildfires.

On Friday, forest fires engulfed the Dzhabyk and Zapasnoye settlements in the Chelyabinsk region, destroying 72 buildings, including 46 homes. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, over 350 people, including 150 children, were evacuated. Firefighting activities currently involve over 630 personnel, as well as the Emergencies Ministry’s Ilyushin Il-76 and Beriev Be-200 aircraft and a Mil Mi-8 helicopter. The fires have scorched 14,000 hectares.