Russian Emergencies Ministry ready to help US in putting out wildfires

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Situations is ready to give assistance to the U.S. in putting out massive wildfires in southern California, the ministry’s press service said on Thursday. The report said Minister Vladimir Puchkov had sent a telegram with offers of assistance to the director of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Please inform us if manpower and resources of Russia’s Ministry for Emergency Situations could be useful for the U.S. in fighting with the natural calamity," the telegram said. As reported earlier, large wildfires compelled the authorities to recommend about 38,000 residents of Ventura County in California to evacuate. Evacuation has already embraced about 150,000 people in the areas neighboring Los Angeles. Three firefighters sustained injuries during operations to suppress the blaze. There have been no injured among the population. The Los Angeles Times said the fires had destroyed about 150 buildings and disconnected more than 250,000 people from electricity supplies. California’s Governor Jerry Brown has declared an emergency situation in Ventura County. About a thousand firefighters are engaged in tackling the fire. Schools and other educational institutions are closed in Ventura. The first hotbed of fire was reported on Monday night and the blaze has been spreading towards the city of Ventura on the Pacific Coast ever since then. Read more