A light smog and a burning smell covered the city of Moscow on Thursday August 18, AFP noted, as a result of major forest fires in a region neighboring the Russian capital in the midst of a heat wave.
According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, 470 firefighters and 175 machines, including three planes and helicopters, were deployed to put out the fires in the Ryazan region, about 250 kilometers southeast of Moscow.
Read alsoVolunteer firefighters at the heart of firefighting
According to the NGO Greenpeace, present on the spot, these fires affected an area of more than 3300 hectares.
On Telegram, the acting governor of the region Pavel Malkov said Wednesday evening that at least 800 hectares had been crossed by the flames.
Thursday morning, he said that three fires were still in progress over an area of 181 hectares, in particular in the Oka nature reserve and the Mechchiorski national park, large marshy areas.
“
There is a high probability that it will burn due to human action.
And the persistent heat and drought are creating favorable conditions for the fire to spread
,” Greenpeace said Wednesday.
Added to this are strong winds.
The NGO specifies that these forest and peat fires affect an area already marked in 2010 by serious fires whose thick smoke had covered Moscow for days, causing serious health consequences.
Particularly subject to the consequences of climate change, Russia has been hit in recent years by serious forest fires, particularly in Siberia and the Far East, gigantic and difficult to access areas.
