Smog Blankets Moscow: ~900 Wildfires Rage in Record Heat

Russia is experiencing an unprecedented heat wave this summer. This has led to a record outbreak of nearly nine hundred forest and peat bog fires across the country. Moscow is blanketed inside and out in toxic smoke and smog. The forecast is for more record breaking heat to follow.

Russia's worst heatwave in more than a century has seen the mortality rate in Moscow soar by a third in July. There were 14,340 deaths in the capital over the month, 4,824 more than last July, an official has revealed.

Southeastern winds blew smoke from the areas worst affected by peat bog and forest fires. Weather experts said the winds are unlikely to change over the next few days.  The concentration of airborne pollutants such as carbon monoxide has further intensified and is at more than six times normal levels, according to city health officials – the worst seen to date in Moscow. The smog has seeped into buildings and the city's subway system.

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