Smoke from Siberia wildfires reaches north pole in historic first

Occurrence is first since records began and comes as Russian weather officials warn blazes are worsening

Smoke from raging forest fires in Siberia has reached the north pole for the first time in recorded history, as a Russian monitoring institute warned the blazes were worsening.

Devastating wildfires have ripped across Siberia with increasing regularity over the past few years, which Russia's weather officials and environmentalists have linked to climate change and an underfunded forest service.