The situation continues to deteriorate. Toxic fumes fell on several American cities in eastern Canada ravaged by fierce wildfires on Wednesday, June 7.
The unusually early and intense start of the fire season is raising fears for a particularly destructive year in Canada, with months of hot and dry conditions expected to persist.
South of the border, more than a dozen U.S. states were under air quality warnings on Wednesday as smoke from Canada’s wildfires drifted south, turning the skyline from New York to the states of Virginia and Indiana gray and hazy.
“If you have heart or breathing problems, be careful when you are outdoors. Smoke from wildfires in Canada affects the air in our city, which is why quality, healthy air has been released. Try to limit outdoor activities today to what is absolutely necessary,” warned New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Similar instructions have been issued in several other American cities, including Baltimore, Maryland, where authorities have advised residents to limit outdoor activities.
Almost all provinces and territories of Canada are affected by these fires, especially Quebec. In the country’s second most populous region, there have been four times as many forest fires as the ten-year average, with around 149 active fires as of Wednesday.
More than 3 million hectares burned down
Residents in the northern Quebec cities of Chibougamau and Ouje-Bougoumou were issued evacuation orders Tuesday night after thousands of people were forced from their homes in the province last week.
In neighboring Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, deteriorating air quality due to smoke plumes from Quebec wildfires is predicted this week in cities like Ottawa and Toronto.
Wildfires are common in Canada’s western provinces, but this year the fires in the east of the country increased rapidly, forcing residents to evacuate their homes and the federal government to send the military there.
Some 3.3 million hectares have already burned, 13 times the 10-year average, and more than 120,000 people have been displaced, at least temporarily, from their homes.
With Portal