Firefighters and rescuers in Russia's Far East extinguished 16 forest fires over the past 24 hours, but 67 more wildfires remain active in the region, a statement from the regional forestry department said on Tuesday.

Some 1,500 people, 370 units of specialized vehicles and 17 aircraft were involved in extinguishing the wildfires, which covered an area of some 4,550 hectares over the past 24 hours, the department said in a statement.

The dry winter, the early onset of warm weather and strong winds, as well as the locals’ habit of burning away old grass in the spring have resulted in an unusual amount of wildfires across the Far East and Siberia starting in early April.

In 2010, central Russia was blanketed by wildfires, which covered some 200,000 hectares of land and blanketed many cities, including Moscow, with acrid smog.