Vladimir Putin arrives in fire ravaged Nizhny Novgorod Region

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday arrived in the wildfire ravaged region of Nizhny Novogorod, where more than 500 homes have been destroyed, to assess the situation.

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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Friday arrived in the wildfire ravaged region of Nizhny Novogorod to assess the situation.

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© RIA Novosti . Алексей Дружинин

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Over the last 24 hours, 505 homes have been destroyed in the largest wildfire in the European part of Russia.

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© RIA Novosti . Алексей Дружинин

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Putin called for the resignation of local government heads who have failed to cope with the deadly wildfires.

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© RIA Novosti . Алексей Дружинин

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Many residents in the Nizhny Novgorod region, whose houses had been burnt down in the fires, complained to Putin that the actions taken by local authorities were chaotic and uncoordinated.

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© RIA Novosti . Алексей Дружинин

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The premier said the families of those who died in wildfires would receive 1 million rubles ($33,000) in compensation each.

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© RIA Novosti . Алексей Дружинин

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He also said the government would allocate around 3 million rubles ($100,000) for the reconstruction of each burnt down house.

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© RIA Novosti . Алексей Лебедев

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Putin said the government would also allocate funds to compensate the loss of personal property.

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© RIA Novosti . Алексей Дружинин

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At least nine people were killed in the region and 1,662 residents have been evacuated from the areas threatened by quickly spreading fires.

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© RIA Novosti . Алексей Лебедев

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Temperatures across much of western and central Russia have topped 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) during the past five weeks, causing peat bog and forest fires and creating what is thought to be the worst drought since 1972.