Russian PM sends condolences over deadly California wildfires

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev offered condolences on Sunday to the relatives and friends of those who died or were injured in the wildfires in California.

During his brief talks with US Vice President Michael Pence on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Papua New Guinea, Medvedev extended his condolences and also asked to convey the words of support to the relatives and friends of the victims.

Pence thanked the Russian side for its offer to provide assistance in combating the wildfires.

On Sunday, Medvedev continues working at the APEC summit in the capital of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, and after the event he is due to head to Vietnam for talks with the Asian country’s leadership. The program of the second day of the summit, which opened on Saturday, includes a number of events, which will be wrapped up by adopting a final declaration.

When asked on whether there was a possibility that Medvedev would meet with Pence, First Deputy Head of the Russian Government Office Sergey Prikhodko said that the meeting had not been planned, and the US side had sent no requests. "In any case, we are not avoiding communication. We stand for dialogue with the US," Prikhodko said.

So far, the California wildfires death toll has reached 79 people, while 1,276 people have gone missing.

According to recent data, Northern California’s Camp Fire covers the area over 598 thousand square kilometers, with only 50% of the fire contained. It is already considered as the deadliest wildfire in California’s history. The fire destroyed 12 thousand buildings, including over 9.8 thousand residential houses.

Several counties in California have declared a state of emergency. US President Donald Trump ordered to allocate federal funds for combating the wildfire, which he described as "monster.".