At least 48 people have died after hundreds of wildfires sparked by record heat waves in western Russia wiped out many forests and villages.
Firefighters continue to battle the blazes but the mission is proving to be a massive challenge for as soon as one fire is extinguished, another is ignited.
Vladimir Putin, Russia's prime minister, has declared the situation "tense and dangerous", while Dmitry Medvedev, the president, cut short a holiday to hold emergency talks on the fires.
Al Jazeera's Neave Barker reports from the Moscow region, where he visits a burnt down village.
[Auguest 3, 2010]
