 The death toll rose to 21 on May 9 in a series of fires raging in Russia's Ural's region some resulting from suspected arson, and medical officials warned the tally was likely to increase, state news agency TASS said. The emergency's ministry in Kurgan region near the border with Kazakhstan said 46 suspects had been identified and seven criminal cases had been initiated against alleged arsonists. Some of the suspects were minors, it said. The motives of the suspected arsonists were not clear. Wildfires have long plagued Russia's forests and steppes during hotter months, but have grown in intensity in recent years. The 2021 fire season was Russia's largest ever, with 18.8 million hectares of forest destroyed, according to Greenpeace Russia. Last year, wildfire smote blue hundreds of miles to Moscow, choking city residents. Fires began in late April in the Kurgan and neighboring two-men regions. Evacuations of residents are underway and hundreds of homes have been raised, officials said.