The Russian region of Ryazan, about 250 kilometers east of Moscow, announced on Monday August 22 that it had instituted a state of emergency to deal with forest fires which have devastated more than 8,000 hectares in recent days.
Acting Governor Pavel Malkov said on Telegram that this measure will "
mobilize more resources to protect residents and territories
".
“
The area crossed by the fire continues to increase slowly
,” he added, indicating that, according to the aerial forest surveillance service, between 8,000 and 9,000 hectares had been affected.
Read alsoForest fires: “Displaced catastrophe”
According to the authorities, "
the active combustion surface
" concerned Monday 146 hectares.
For its part, the NGO Greenpeace estimated, on the basis of satellite images, that at least 11,000 hectares had been affected.
Last week, smoke from those fires, which had been going on for days, finally blanketed parts of the city of Moscow, prompting a strong response from authorities.
On Monday, the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, went there.
In a statement on Telegram, he said 8,500 people and 200 additional equipment would be deployed to extinguish the fire.
Previously, the regional authorities had indicated that 900 people, seven planes and 10 helicopters were mobilized.
Read alsoRussia: Moscow hit by smoke from forest fires
The mayor of Moscow stressed that the area was "
not very accessible
", mainly resulting in interventions by planes and helicopters.
But, "
with bulldozers and heavy machinery, firefighters are making their way to the hearth of the fires
", he assured.
With climate change, which it is suffering from the full force, Russia has been hit in recent years by serious forest fires, particularly in Siberia and the Far East, gigantic and difficult to access areas.