Volgograd Region: ICPO suspects officials of negligence in relation to natural fires

As reported by Vladimir Markin, official spokesman of the Russian Investigatory Committee under the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO), the Committee is currently investigating a number of criminal cases opened against officials in the Volgograd Region. Crime attributes may be revealed in bureaucrats' actions (or inaction) related to mass natural fires. Now, the investigation has data about five persons lost in fires on September 2.

About 500 dwelling houses, a kindergarten and a feldsher's station got burnt down. By today's morning, practically all fire sites were liquidated.

According to Mr Markin, the negligence of local officials could contribute to spread of fires and human deaths.

"The results of the check will help to establish all the circumstances of the events, the reasons and conditions, which contributed to the onset of such grave consequences, as well as the presence or absence of crime elements in the actions of the officials," the RIA "Novosti" quotes Vladimir Markin as saying.

Today it became known that Premier Vladimir Putin signed an order of the government "On rendering financial help to budgets of the Volgograd and Saratov Regions in the sum of one billion roubles for liquidation of natural fire consequences," the ITAR-TASS reports.