ROSTOV-ON-DON, August 14. /TASS/. The regional commission for emergency situations has issued red flag warnings for all municipalities and districts of the southern Rostov region where major blazes are registered, the press service of the regional government reported on Monday.

"Special fire safety arrangements have been imposed on the territories of all city districts and settlements and additional safety measures have been taken," the report said, adding that all units are on standby. "Mobile groups are patrolling the sections subject to fire risk," it added.

The regional government says seven major fires were spotted in three districts during a helicopter flyover on Saturday, August 12. The chairman of the regional emergencies’ commission, Vadim Artyomov, said such flyovers are a very efficient means of monitoring the situation.

The press service of the Rostov region’s branch of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations says that from the start of the year, units of the federal firefighting service have more than 600 times responded to the fires in which dried grass or cane have caught fire. The total area of fires has made up about 200 hectares.