Three criminal cases have been opened in Transbaikalia due to the spread of forest fires.

Investigators in the Trans-Baikal Territory have opened three criminal cases of negligence that led to the development of forest fires. This was reported on April 28 in the Investigative Department (SU) of the Investigative Committee (IC) of Russia for the region.

"Information has been published in the media about the rapid spread of fires in the village of Krasny Chikoy, the village of Novopavlovka, as well as in the area of the rural village of Ogonyok. Residential buildings and country houses caught fire in these settlements, as well as fuel and lubricants storage facilities," the agency said in a Telegram message.

After the initiation of criminal cases, investigators began to establish the causes of the fire, the extent of the damage caused and the possible shortcomings of officials. So, employees of the Investigative Committee began to inspect the territory of the village of Krasny Chikoy, where warehouses caught fire.

Fiery response: the number of forest fires has increased tenfold in Russia

A state of emergency has been introduced in three regions.

Earlier, on April 7, the governor of the Trans-Baikal Territory, Alexander Osipov, announced that an emergency regime had been introduced in the region in connection with forest fires. According to Osipov, almost all fires in the forests of Transbaikalia since the beginning of the year have been caused by humans. The governor stressed that the situation remains tense and called for the protection of the region's forests.

Later, on April 27, the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation reported that departmental IL-76 aircraft were involved in extinguishing fires in the Trans-Baikal Territory. It is specified that the aircraft performed four drains and dumped 168 thousand liters of water. The threat of fire spreading towards the settlement of Elizavetino was prevented.