Firefighters and rescuers in Russia''s Far East extinguished half of 12 forest fires registered over the past 24 hours, a spokesman for Russia''s Regional Emergencies Ministry said on Tuesday. "On Tuesday [21:00 GMT Monday] six forest fires continue raging in the Far East covering an area of 7.42 hectares," the spokesman said. Wildfires in forested regions of Russia are common during the dry and hot summer season. Most of the time, the fires start because of the careless behavior of local residents in the woods, Russia''s News Agency (RIA Novosti) reported. Forest fires devastated a number of regions in central Russia last summer, killing 62 people and leaving thousands homeless.