New statistics on Saturday showed the vast scale of the human effort in Russia to halt a natural disaster that has destroyed swathes of woodland and taiga.

Head of shelter alleges 'arson', while fire chiefs claim bad wiring was to blame. 

Forest fire may have caused the blasts which led to 400 people being evacuated.

Six infernos ravaging the region's nature have been extinguished in the past 24 hours, it is reported.

Kitten is one of the world’s rarest big cats, with only 91 known adults surviving in the wild.

Accident involving drilling works sparks massive blaze but thankfully no injuries.

Elsewhere in Russia’s coldest region desperate authorities spike clouds to induce rain and tame wildfires.

Russia’s coldest region struggles to tame fires intensified by lengthy heatwave in extreme north.

'Scary' scenes as fumes from burning forests cover Lake Baikal, with people - and bears - fleeing 'Apocalypse'.