Smoke from Russia blankets Finland — again

Smoke from forest fires burning in Russia drifted into southern Finland once again on Monday afternoon, reports the Helsingin Sanomat.

In the Helsinki region, the air suddenly turned grey and the smell of the smoke was also noticeable indoors. The small particle content of the air in Helsinki reached record levels — about 20 times higher than normal.

The cloud of smoke greatly reduced visibility at sea. Witnesses in boats and ships off Helsinki said that the city disappeared completely into the smoke for a few minutes.

When the smoke was at its thickest, visibility was down to about one kilometre.

The smoke was also seen and felt in the southeast of the country, close to the border with Russia where forest fires have been raging for weeks