国际英语新闻：Downpours drench Moscow, wildfires continue nearby

MOSCOW, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- There were downpours Friday in Moscow after several rainless weeks, but dozens of wildfires, one of them near the country's top nuclear research center, were still burning.

The Emergency Situations Ministry said more than 500 wildfires continued to rage across the country, including 29 around Moscow, adding that about 14,000 firefighters were battling blazes around the capital.

The clouds of suffocating smog have largely dissipated over Moscow, but meteorologists say smoke from burning forests and peat bogs may cover the city again during the weekend if the wind direction changes.

A forest fire has grown in size near the town of Sarov, home to Russia's top nuclear research center, which includes an atomic reactor.

Authorities previously said all nuclear fuel had been removed from the center.

More than 2,600 people and about 200 pieces of machinery are currently involved in fighting the fire at Sarov, a small town 300 km east of Moscow.