MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. The number of fires breaking out across Russia has been growing over the past week, an Emergencies Ministry official told TASS on Wednesday.

"The number of fires recorded across Russia has been rising since April 20 versus the same period last year. Since that date, the number of fires has been rising by 130 to 280 instances per day. However, [fire-related] fatalities show a declining trend," the official noted.

Over the past 24-hour period the number has increased by 265 conflagrations.

Earlier, Russian Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov reported to President Vladimir Putin that wildfires in the country had increased since the beginning of the year. While their number remains constant as compared to the same period last year, the area they cover has increased by a factor of three.