Forest fires burn millions of hectares in Russia

Moscow, Aug 11 (EFE).- Forest fires in Russia have burned more than four million hectares across the country, the Russian federal agency for forestry reported Wednesday.

The federal agency said a total of 172 out of the 257 active forest fires are in the republic of Sakha in the Russian Far East.

Smoke from the blazes in Sakha has spread across the Russian Far East, particularly into the neighboring city of Krasnoyarsk.

The  poor visibility caused by the fires forced the delay of 27 flights from and to Krasnoyarsk airport, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.

The Krasnoyarsk emergency department said Tuesday that high levels of smoke were recorded in 896 cities and villages in the region.

Since the beginning of 2021, there have been 11,878 forest fires that tore through more than 8 million hectares across Russia, according to figures released by the federal agency for forestry.EFE

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