Forest fires in Russia consume over 100,000 hectares in past 3 days

VLADIVOSTOK - Forest fires in Russia continued to spread and have consumed nearly 110,000 hectares (1,100 square km) of land up to Thursday, TASS news agency reported.

The report said that a total of 126 forest fires were recorded, and the area affected by wildfires increased by 8,000 hectares during the past three days.

The Far East region's Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is the worst hit area, where about 75,000 hectares of forest were engulfed by fire. The Republics of Komi and Ryazan and the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in western Russia have also suffered wildfires.

Smoke from forest fires has recently reached the capital Moscow, limiting visibility in the city.

Speaking during a meeting with regional officials on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin said there was a risk that forest fires could worsen in the European part of Russia and its Far East.

According to TASS, the country has mobilized over 5,000 people to extinguish the fires.