The thick smoke and haze that turned the New York City skyline orange and brought some of the worst air quality levels the Northeast has seen in decades was generated by a series of wildfires forests burning in Canada.
The fires, which began in early June and have affected Ontario and Quebec, have affected both Canadians and Americans. Canadian media reported that 14,000 people in Quebec were evacuated in early June. In Canada, the fires caused thick smoke that prompted air quality warnings. In the Northeast, there was a similar effect: cities like New York and Philadelphia were covered in a thick haze that eventually traveled south to Baltimore and Washington, DC.
Smoke is expected to gradually clear the US East Coast over the weekend, but fires in Canada are still burning. Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing wildfires.
Are Canadian wildfires under control?
According to the Canadian Interagency Wildfire Centre, there are currently 417 active fires in the country. According to a map updated by the CIFFC daily, these fires are located on both coasts of the country.
Of these fires, 218 are classified as “out of control”. Only 108 are marked as “under control”, while another 91 are “held”. A sustained fire means that it is not moving, but it is not yet considered contained, and its status can fluctuate.
In accordance with Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, there are 34 active fires. Half of them were still not under control as of Friday evening, the agency said. Seven are in custody, one is being observed and nine are under surveillance.
/ AP
In accordance with Forest Protection Society, a Quebec agency, there are 134 active fires in the province. The site doesn’t provide statistics on how many fires are out of control, but they are interactive map which is updated every five minutes with updated statuses.
Why are Canadian wildfires out of control?
How CBS News previously reportedsevere weather conditions in Canada are fueling the fires and making it difficult for firefighters to fight the flames.
This is not likely to go away. The The Canadian government has recently published an updated look at the country’s wildfire season, which typically runs from May to October. The most recent forecast, released this week, said this year’s wildfire season is already “severe” and warned that current predictions “indicate the potential for continued above-normal fire activity in most of the country during the 2023 wildfire season.” due to the ongoing drought and long-term forecasts of warm temperatures.”
The country is currently at “National Preparedness Level 5,” meaning Canada has committed all national resources to fighting wildfires across the country. International firefighters are also arriving: Chris Stockdale, a wildfire investigation officer with the Canadian Forest Service, told CBS News that when smoke from earlier fires hit some central and western states, that “officers from international link” of Australia, New Zealand and the South. Africa would fly to help fight the fires.
President Joe Biden also said earlier this week that American firefighters would be heading north.
“We have deployed more than 600 U.S. firefighters, support personnel and equipment to support Canada as it responds to record wildfires, events that are intensifying due to the climate crisis,” he said. in a tweet.
Will ongoing wildfires bring smoke back?
Air quality on the US East Coast is expected to improve over the weekend. Although the fires continue to burn, air quality in New York and other northern areas has begun to return to normal levels.
Weather Channel meteorologist Jen Carfango, he told CBS News earlier this week that the lingering smoke has more to do with a weather pattern.
“We have been in a locked pattern in North America all week,” Carfango said in an email. “This kept an upper-level area of low pressure stuck in the northeast. The flow around the low pressure has been guiding wildfire smoke from Quebec into the northeast, the Great Lakes and even the Ohio Valley and down into the mid-Atlantic.”
BC Wildlife Service/Handout via REUTERS
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Kerry Breen
