Local emergency officials said 187 fires raged in Siberia's Yakutia region on July 18. Heavy smoke from the fires covered 51 towns, settlements and cities in the region, including the capital Yakutsk. All flights in and out of the city have been suspended.  

Wildfires have raged in Russia's Siberia since April amid unusually high temperatures caused by climate change. The Yakutia region was hit hardest. Russia's Emergency Ministry on Sunday said it had deployed two amphibious aircraft to Yakutia to help tackle the fires.