MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. The third (increased) level of complexity has been assigned to the fire in the city of Proletarsk in Russia’s southern Rostov Region after it spread from dry grass to residential houses, Sergey Filippov, chief of the Russian emergencies ministry’s Rostov Region department, said.
"The firefighting effort involves 37 men and 12 vehicles. The fire has been assigned the third level. As of now, no one was hurt," he said.
According to Filippov, the fire in an area covered with reeds started on Friday evening. Due to strong winds, the fire spread to nearby single-family houses.
According to local emergencies services, the fire has consumed four houses.
Meanwhile, the region’s governor said that this fire is not linked with the one that has been raging in the Proletarsk district for several days. "The two fire seats are located five kilometers from each other," he added.
Russian air defense systems repelled a Ukrainian drone attack in the south east of the Rostov Region in the morning on August 18. Falling fragments caused fire to diesel fuel stored at industrial depots in Proletarsk. The firefighting operation is still underway. The fire area has reached 10,000 square meters. According to local media, some people are leaving their homes in Proletarsk although a centralized evacuation campaign has not been announced.