The plume of smoke from the Canada fires, which has been leaving dystopian images in New York City since Tuesday, is moving south on the east coast of the United States on Thursday. After the city of skyscrapers, large parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and the federal capital Washington woke up this Thursday with “very unhealthy” or “dangerous” air quality, according to the classification of the official website AirNow, which calculates it based on the airborne particle content .
Millions of people are subject to different alert levels. NASA has released satellite images showing smoke from the Canadian wildfires reaching as far as Alabama. “This smoke is causing poor air quality throughout the eastern third of the United States.” has said. According to experts, the problems with the air quality can last at least until the weekend.
The obelisk of the Washington Monument, which dominates the capital’s sky, woke up this Thursday morning and was covered in fog, but it’s not clouds, it’s smoke. The sky in Washington is overcast and gray instead of blue. The smell of burning wood and stinging eyes have reached the capital. People are again wearing masks on the streets and authorities have declared the Red Code for air quality, something that has not happened for more than a decade except on the nights of July 4 due to the smoke from the firecrackers that nationals were firing Holiday is celebrated.
In Washington, Mayor Muriel Bowser has ordered schools to cancel outdoor breaks, sporting events and field trips. In Philadelphia, authorities have set up an emergency shelter so people living outdoors can find shelter from the smoke.
Civil protection authorities warn that these air conditions can have health consequences for everyone and that outdoor activities should be restricted. Members of sensitive groups such as people with respiratory and heart diseases, emphysema, asthma or chronic bronchitis could suffer more serious consequences.
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The cloud of smoke seems to have left New York behind. State Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday announced the distribution of one million high quality masks (N95) for this Thursday. Still, he has asked citizens to postpone or cancel outdoor activities whenever possible. Authorities in many East Coast states have issued similar recommendations.
This Wednesday, some baseball games scheduled to take place in the hardest-hit areas like New York or Philadelphia have been postponed, including the game against the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. “Tonight’s game between the Yankees and the White Sox (Wednesday, June 7) has been postponed due to poor air quality from smoke from the Canadian wildfires and will be rescheduled tomorrow, Thursday, June 8.” the club tweeted.
Aviation authorities are restricting air traffic in some areas. “The reduced visibility caused by smoke from forest fires will continue to affect air travel today.” The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has pointed this out. We may need to take action to safely control the flow of traffic in New York City. [Washington] DC, Philly and Charlotte.” has added.
Meanwhile, United States President Joe Biden spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this Wednesday to address the focus of the issue. To date, the United States has deployed more than 600 American firefighters and support personnel, along with other extinguishing agents, to respond to the fires. Biden offered Trudeau additional assistance in fighting the devastating wildfires ravaging Canada.
There were still 437 active wildfires in Canada as of Thursday, 248 of which were out of control, according to authorities. Most of the fires, 154 as of Thursday morning, are occurring in the eastern province of Quebec, from where most of the smoke streams have reached the United States.
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