Moscow chokes under a blanket of smog as wildfires rage out of control in Russian heatwave

The massive blaze has caused airborne pollutants, including carbon monoxide, to be four times higher than average - the worst seen to date in Moscow.

Russians wore protective face masks as dozens of forest and peat bog fires around the city continued to burn, fanned by south-easterly winds and the country's most intense heat wave in 130 years.

More than 500 separate blazes are active today, mainly across Russia's European territory, according to the Emergencies Ministry.

Yelena Galanova, a spokesman for Domodedovo Airport, said 15 flights were diverted to other airports overnight, significantly delaying outgoing flights on the same aircraft.

Visibility on the runway was down to 400 metres, less than half the average, and air traffic controllers were offering all incoming flights an option to divert to other nearby airports, she said.

Up to 2,000 homes have been destroyed and officials have suggested that the 10,000 firefighters is not enough to battle the blazes.

The forecast for the week ahead, with predicted temperatures approaching 38C (100F), shows little change in the capital and surrounding areas.