Authorities declare state of emergency in Russia's Novorossiysk as wildfires rage.

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Wildfires have spread around the southern Russian city of Novorossiysk, prompting evacuations and Mayor Andrei Kravchenko to declare a state of emergency on July 14. Kravchenko said on the morning of July 15 that more than 300 people, including workers from the Emergency Situations Ministry and other volunteers, were at work fighting forest fires in the area. The blaze had spread to at least 153 acres as of the early morning of July 15.

The fire immediately impacted several recreation centers around the city, and around 500 people have been evacuated so far, Kravchenko said. Buses were made available to help evacuate people from the area, and boats were on standby to facilitate the rescue of people from the sea as well, Kravchenko added. The port in Novorossiysk is where Moscow began redeploying its Black Sea Fleet after a series of devastating Ukrainian strikes, including a missile attack on its headquarters in Sevastopol in September 2023.

Novorossiysk has a population of around 260,000 and is located about 160 kilometers (99 miles) southeast of occupied Crimea. Wildfires occur across Russia annually. There was no indication at the time of this publication that the fire near Novorossiysk was caused by a drone strike or other attack in the area.

Mass fire breaks out in Russia's Kursk Oblast, authorities say

Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of Kursk Oblast, claimed that the fire has been contained, and that there are at least 60 first responders at the scene fighting the blaze.