Wildfires threaten Russian missile attack warning centre

Moscow, Aug 7 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Wildfires raging across the central part of European Russia are threatening to engulf the military command of the Russian missile attack warning centre in the Moscow region, a military spokesman said Saturday.

Three hotspots near the missile attack warning centre in southeastern Kolomensky district were quickly smothered, spokesman for Russian Space Forces Lt. Col. Alexei Zolotukhin said, adding the district was still threatened by the quickly spreading fires.

The wildfires raging across the central part of European Russia have killed over 50 people so far and left more than 3,500 people homeless. Forest and peat bog fires, sparked by an unprecedented heat wave, are currently burning in 22 regions of the country.

–IANS/RIA Novosti