Mortality rate doubles in Moscow's smoke and heat

Reuters: The death rate in Moscow has doubled as wildfires have blanketed the capital with toxic smoke amid Russia's worst heatwave in over a century, Interfax cited the city's health department chief as saying on Monday. The official, Alexander Seltsovsky, did not give a specific time frame or number of deaths, but indicated heat and pollution were the cause of the increase, according to the report.

"Mortality in Moscow has doubled recently," Interfax news agency quoted Seltsovsky as saying. Health department officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Moscow was veiled with acrid smoke for a fourth straight day as persistent heat continued to fuel forest and peat fires that officials say have killed 52 people across European Russia since late July…

An unknown artist painted this image of Napoleon witnessing Moscow ablaze. Sooner or later, enough public domain or copyleft photos of Russia's fires and heat wave will become available. Until then, it's 1812 here at Carbon Based