Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk covered with caustic smog from fires

Air conditioners do not help, wet rags on the windows

The Sverdlovsk region is experiencing forest fires. Their consequence was a caustic and thick smog that enveloped Yekaterinburg. The smoke reached the surrounding villages and even the neighboring Chelyabinsk region. About what is happening in these cities now, “MK” was told by local residents.

According to residents of Yekaterinburg, the smell of burning in the city has been lingering for two days, it is especially strong in the morning. I had to go out into the street only when absolutely necessary: ​​to the store, and even then running, without stopping. It is especially difficult for those who live with children who are deprived of the opportunity to go out for a walk.

“For the last two days, our air has not been very good,” Anastasia, a resident of Yekaterinburg, shared with MK, “Thursday evening everything was very tight, it was impossible to breathe, and it started to rain early this morning, but even he did not help. Smoke on the street. Very strong, acrid smell, like burning peat. We now have strong forest fires in the region, two large outbreaks are just in the area near which I live. There is no such thing as smog due to industrial enterprises.

How are people protected?

– They do not open windows, they go out less. Air conditioners, I think, do not help, they also draw air from the street.

How long do you think the smog can last?

– Forecasters promise smog for the whole weekend.

Special services are extinguishing forest fires, aviation is working, but we had a terrible heat the day before – 38 degrees, because of this, new fires appeared.

“I would not say that now there is heavy smoke over the city,” says Andrey, a resident of neighboring Chelyabinsk, “Now I look out the window and you can’t see a lot of smoke, everything is visible. When I was driving to work in the morning, it was quite early, the smoke was just beginning, and at seven in the morning part of the city, a sleeping area, northwestern, was covered in smoke.

But the woody smell of burning was felt both in the morning and now. All this is reminiscent of when the Siberian forests burned a few years ago, and smoke began to be pulled here from there.

– Do people experience strong discomfort due to smoke?

– Here I am sitting in the office, my window is open, I feel a certain haze, but my head does not hurt.

Chelyabinsk is a city with rather big problems regarding windless situations. We often have calm weather, and there are enough industrial enterprises in the city and in the district, so environmentalists constantly warn. This is more of a problem for those with asthma, they will stay at home with the windows closed. Someone throws rags on the windows, but today people do nothing extreme. They swear, grumble, sin against factories.

But I repeat that this is due to burning forests, the smell is woody. The Sverdlovsk region is burning very badly, there are crown fires, as far as we know, an entire village burned down there. Smoke covered not only Chelyabinsk, but also other cities in the Chelyabinsk region. Tomorrow we are predicting rain, and in some areas and showers, I think that they will bring down the smoke.