In July 2023, a combination of unusual heat, dry lightning, and drought fueled major outbreaks of fire in Canada. At least two Canadian firefighters have died while battling the flames.įrom NASA Earth Observatory: Photo dated July 12, 2023. The crisis has elicited a flood of international support, as fire and emergency response personnel have deployed to the country from nations including the US, Australia and Brazil. Smoke from the blazes this summer have so far touched the American South and traveled across the Atlantic and into Europe. The US is likely to see the downwind effects of Canada’s prolonged wildfires as the country continues to experience its worst fire season on record.Īlmost 29 million acres of Canadian land have been scorched so far this year, according to the national fire center. Particulate matter can commonly cause difficulty breathing and eye and throat irritation, but has also been linked to more serious long-term health issues such as lung cancer, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Ĭanada suffers worst fire season on record Wildfire smoke is packed with tiny pollutants – known as particulate matter – that can infiltrate the lungs and blood stream if inhaled. “All Chicagoans may also consider wearing masks, limiting their outdoor exposure, moving activities indoors, running air purifiers, and closing windows,” the city said in a release Monday. The city is recommending that those with chronic respiratory issues limit their activities outdoors and is advising against strenuous activity for children, teens, seniors, people with heart or lung disease, and pregnant people. Similar advisories have been declares in Michigan and Wisconsin. The EPA in Illinois has declared an “Air Pollution Action Day” through Tuesday due to the “persistent” wildfire smoke causing elevated air pollution in the region. Minneapolis could reach 100° and Chicago will be in the upper 90s. The smoke is expected to shift eastward through the Great Lakes region through Tuesday and disperse by Wednesday – just as the upper Midwest is forecast to see some of its hottest temperatures so far this year. The blanket of hazy skies follows a belt of Canadian wildfire smoke which stretched across the US last week, triggering air quality alerts for more than a dozen states from Montana to Vermont, with some smoke reaching as far South as Alabama. In the US, the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued air quality alerts for millions of people across Michigan and parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. The bulk of the country’s wildfires are burning in British Columbia, where more than 460 fires are ongoing, the agency reports. Friedman/CNNĪs wildfires gobble more Canadian acreage, crews struggle to even keep up Silver City Hotshot crew extinguishing a hot spot in the forest north of Lebel-sur-Quévillon Matthew J.
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