Muscovites struggle to breathe as acrid smoke grips city
Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- The famous Moscow skyline of the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral vanished Friday as a blanket of thick, noxious smoke shrouded the Russian metropolis, leaving 10 million residents with sore throats and burning eyes.
The acrid smoke, stemming from thousands of square miles of wildfires, worsened considerably in Moscow, with carbon monoxide levels climbing to five times higher than what is considered safe, according to the Russian health ministry.
People were encouraged to stay indoors, but that is somewhat impractical advice for the bustling city. Instead, Muscovites struggling to breathe reached for masks and went about their business.
The smoke even penetrated people's apartments, office buildings and the subway, providing little chance for relief. There was no immediate word on injuries.
Health experts told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency the pollution levels were as dangerous as smoking several packs of cigarettes a day.
Some flights coming into Moscow were diverted Friday because or poor visibility.
Tens of thousands of firefighters have been deployed to help extinguish nearly 600 raging wildfires covering 500,000 acres, among the worst ever.
But the record heat wave gripping the country showed no signs of abating Friday.
Temperatures climbed to 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit) in Moscow and hit 41 degrees Celsius (nearly 106 Fahrenheit) farther to the southeast in Tambov. By Sunday, Moscow could be up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), a temperature that has never been officially recorded in the city.
Percy von Lipinski, who is currently visiting Russia, described the sun as a "barely visible dot of orange trying to light the sky."
"I dared venture outside today but can tell you that it was a difficult job," he said in a CNN iReport. "Tomorrow I have decided to take my chances to see if things are any better in the country side."
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