Russian wildfires tear through Urals, Siberia

Large swaths of Russia's Siberia and Sverdlovsk regions were engulfed in flames this week, with winds and dry weather being blamed for the Eurasian nation's recent wildfire uptick.

Head of Russia's Federal Forestry Agency Ivan Sovetnikov said Monday he expected "most major fires in the region to be contained and put out" within two to three days. It wasn't immediately clear if such a goal was too optimistic: on Sunday night, the area engulfed in flames stood at about 81,500 acres, but it grew significantly overnight.

In the neighboring Kurgan region, the fires have already destroyed more than 300 residential houses and 3,900 other buildings, Russia's state news agency Tass reported, citing local emergency officials.