Forest fires that rage south of it Moscow have again taken on large proportions, Russian authorities said on Monday, as residents of the capital complain of a strong smell of burning in the air.

Since the beginning of August, fires have been raging in the Ryazan region, about 200 kilometers southeast of Moscow. The interim governor of the region, Pavel Malkov, said that a state of emergency had been declared, and residents of two settlements, Olgino and Golovanovo, were ordered to evacuate.

“The scale of the fire continues to slowly expand. We’re talking about 80-90,000 acres today, according to the Aerial Forestry Service,” Malkoff said, describing the situation as “tense.”

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said his city sent equipment and personnel to Ryazan, but these efforts were not enough to contain the fronts.

“Fires broke out,” Sobyanin said, according to the Russian TASS news agency. “There are many fires over a large area and in hard-to-reach places,” he added.

Muscovites said that in the morning there was a smell of burning, which then dissipated. This week the temperature in Moscow is expected to reach 31 degrees Celsius. The record high temperature in the Russian capital dates back to 2010, when 38.2 degrees Celsius was recorded along with thick smoke from a huge wildfire that engulfed the city.

^{Source: APE-MEB, Reuters}