Russia battles fresh wildfires

At least eight people have been killed in a new wave of wildfires fuelled by powerful winds and scorching temperatures, which burned down hundreds of homes in several regions. Emergency personnel have been deployed to battle and contain the blazes which engulfed more than a dozen villages and towns, but many residents complained that the government's response has been slow and insufficient. The latest fires come after destructive wildfires in July and August killed at least fifty-four people in central Russia, during the country's worst heat wave ever recorded.