MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/. More than 70 homes have burned down in the Krasnoyarsk region, Siberia, a source in the Siberian Regional Center of the Russian Emergencies Ministry told TASS. According to the source, situation there remains complex.

"Fires hit four settlements where a total of 71 homes burned down. Their residents total 339 people, including 47 children. Besides, two timber processing centers and one sawmill have also been destroyed by the fires," the source added.

The number of firefighters combating the blazes has been increased. Despite gusty winds, the Emergencies Ministry has sent two helicopters to help extinguish the fires.

The situation in the towns of Kansk and Lesosibirsk is the most complex. "In Kansk, three fires destroyed a total of 36 homes, while in Lesosibirsk and the Strelka settlement, 30 homes are on fire and the risk of fire spreading remains," the source added.

Meanwhile, five homes are on fire in the Malaya Ket settlement, there is a risk that the fire will spread to neighboring buildings. "In all the settlements, firefighting teams are active and measures are being taken to contain and extinguish the fires. However, strong wind hampers these activities," the source in the Emergencies Ministry’s Siberian Regional Center pointed out.

Acting First Deputy Head of the National Crisis Management Center Igor Kutrovsky said that "fires in the town of Kansk and the Strelka settlement, located in the town of Lesosibirsk, spread to nearby residential dwellings and buildings of timber companies." According to him, a state of emergency has been declared in Kansk and Lesosibirsk.