Two fire-affected soils have been studied using micromorphological methods. The objective of the paper is to assess and compare fire effects on the micropedological organisation of soils in a forest-steppe zone of central Russia. The burnt soils differ from the control on a macromorphological level only in the upper part of the profile where the litter is transformed to ash identified as a dim grey organomineral mixture. Processes of soil erosion are clearly manifested 1 year after the fire.