As wildfires continue to rage around Moscow, smog has cut visibility to 20 meters (65.6 feet) in the cities and towns to the east, south-east and north-east of the Russian capital.
Mikhail Mironov, a regional emergencies ministry spokesman, said 30 wildfires were registered in the Moscow Region, which does not include the capital, as of 8:00 a.m. Moscow time (4:00 a.m. GMT). The total area of the wildfires is 162 hectares.
Drivers on the Moscow Region highways and in the capital were forced to switch on their headlights as the smog enveloped much of Moscow. The smog also found its way into the Moscow Metro.
Moscow airports, however, remained unaffected by the smog and flights are leaving on schedule.
At least 40 people have died and over 3,000 have been left homeless by fires which have swept across the central part of European Russia. The wildfires have been sparked by temperatures up to and above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday ordered Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu to draw up a special program to boost the firefighting service.
MOSCOW, August 4 (RIA Novosti)
