MOSCOW, August 30 - RAPSI. A young man who dropped a lit match which led to a 14 hectares forest fire in Buryatia is to face trial, the Prosecutor General's Office reported on Thursday.

According to the investigation, Andrei Sokolnikov, 20, decided to have a cigarette in the Zakamensky District forest on May 2, 2012.

"Without taking any precautions, after he lit his cigarette he dropped the burning match onto the dry ground of the forest. As a result of the strong wind, the fire spread across the forestland, reaching even the cedar woodland. The total area affected by the fire was 13.9 hectares," according to the report.

The damage has been estimated at 1.697 billion rubles ($52.52 million).

The case has been submitted to the district court. Sokolnikov is charged with damaging and destroying forest land due to negligent fire handling. He faces up to four years in prison.