Moscow authorities send people and equipment to extinguish burning forests in the Ryazan region

The Moscow authorities have sent additional forces to extinguish the fire in the forests of the Ryazan region, doubling the group of people and equipment already operating there. This was announced by the mayor of the capital in his Telegram channel.

The mayor added that Moscow specialists also went to the Vladimir region to fight peat fires.

“Forest fires are continuing in the Ryazan region. We have doubled the number of equipment and specialists to extinguish the fire.

In addition, two more Ka-32A helicopters, each capable of dropping up to 5 tonnes of water at a time, have been deployed.

Three helicopters, two IL-76 aircraft and two Be-200 aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry’s air squadron have been deployed in cooperation with the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia.

Units of water-washing equipment and the unique Vodoley fire rescue complex were also sent to the aid of the neighbouring region. It is capable of delivering water at a rate of 170 litres per second at a distance of up to 1.2 kilometres.

At the same time, fire outbreaks have been detected in the Vladimir Region. Thirty units of equipment and 90 personnel of firefighters and rescuers have been sent to provide assistance,” the capital’s mayor said in a statement.

According to TASS, 800 people and 300 units of equipment are already extinguishing forest fires in the Ryazan Region. Federal forces have been brought in to fight the fire. An IL-76 aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry has flown to the region.

The head of the ministry, Aleksandr Kurenkov, also ordered two more IL-76s, a Be-200 amphibious aircraft and four helicopters to be sent to the disaster area. In addition, the minister himself flew to Ryazan to coordinate the work.

According to the Ryazan region authorities, the largest forest fire in the region started during a dry thunderstorm. Lightning strikes set trees on fire in the Spassky district.

According to Dmitry Filippov, deputy chairman of the regional government, the fact of the fire’s natural origin has been recorded.

As the operative headquarters clarified, the fire was not caused by human activity, as it originated in an inaccessible area.

Smoke from the forests burning near Ryazan reached Moscow, covering the southern half of the city with smog. According to Mosekomonitoring, the permissible level of pollutants has not yet been exceeded. The situation with the state of the atmosphere in the capital is being monitored by Rospotrebnadzor.

In addition, the highest fire danger class is expected in the Moscow region in the near future. From 19 to 28 August, visits to forests in the region will be restricted.

Forest fires are now occurring in several regions of Russia. In addition to the Ryazan and Vladimir regions, a fire was recorded in the Kamensky district of the Rostov region, where a forest area of ​​50 hectares was engulfed in fire.

Cover photo: Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia