U.S. Aids Russia in Firefighting

Following through on a promise made Thursday night to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, President Obama has signed on to help Russia fight the deadly wildfires that have ravaged the country for weeks and left thousands without homes. Several federal agencies—plus the state of California—are pitching in, sending a total of $2.5 million in firefighting equipment, including water tanks, fire-protective clothes (made by prison inmates in California), and medical kits. The first deliveries arrived Friday as more than 500 fires tore through Russia following record heat and drought. The worst of the fires appears to be over, but the burning is dangerously close to Russia’s major nuclear-research center in Sarov.