A state of emergency has been imposed in an area of Russia over forest fires

August 20, local time, a state of emergency was imposed in the southern Russian republic of Mariel as forest fires raged.

According to Russian media reports, the local emergency department evacuated about 300 residents and more than 630 people from a nursing home nearby because of a forest fire in an area of the republic. The Russian Defense Ministry sent a helicopter from Ulyanovsk to fight the fire.

Preliminary findings indicate that man-made factors are the cause of forest fires