For those living in Canada, wildfires are a common concept in the western provinces. However, this time, the eastern provinces of Nova Scotia, Quebec and parts of Ontario are also reeling from out of control wildfires, sending plumes across much of New York.
What is happening in Canada?
Canada is on course for its worst-ever wildfire season on record, with about 3.3 million hectares (8.2 million acres) burned so far this year, according official data. The forest fires started in late April in British Columbia and Alberta, displacing more than 30,000 people at its peak, and shutting down oil and gas production.
When the wildfires in western province got under control, the eastern provinces started burning. Quebec is Canada’s biggest province by area, and Ontario second-biggest by land area and biggest by population. As of Tuesday, Quebec is battling around 160 forest fires, displacing some 10,000 people, while a similar number of fires are burning in Ontario. Quebec’s multiple fires are caused by lightning.
What’s causing the wildfires?
Heat wave, combined with low snowfall this winter, deforestation and human accidents are some of the reasons behind the wildfires.
Atlantic Canada received low snowfall this winter, followed by an exceptionally dry spring. Nova Scotia’s capital Halifax received just 120 millimetres of rain between March and May, roughly a third of the average. A scorching late May heat-wave pushed temperatures in Halifax to 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 F) on Thursday, around 10 degrees Celsius above normal for this time of year. Most of the wildfires are believed to be accidentally caused by human activity.
New York in haze
“It smells like someone is doing a barbecue,” said a 30-year-old tourist in New York City, who complained of watery and itchy eyes.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires shrouded New York in a record-breaking apocalyptic smog on Wednesday as cities along the US East Coast issued air pollution warnings.
More than 100 million people across the northeastern United States, and extending west to Chicago and south to Atlanta, were under pollution warnings after the smoke drifted hundreds of miles from Canada, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said.
Flights delayed, shows cancelled, air alerts sent: What is happening in US?
All outdoor activities at New York City’s public schools were suspended, as the smog enveloped the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it had slowed traffic to and from the city’s airports due to reduced visibility.
US President Joe Biden said on Twitter that more than 600 firefighters along with other personnel and equipment had been sent to Canada to help battle the blazes.
Major League Baseball postponed Wednesday’s game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox as well as the Phillies’ home game against the Detroit Tigers due to poor air quality.
The WNBA and the National Women’s Soccer League also announced postponements.
Music organisers canceled the opening night of a concert series in Brooklyn set to feature Corinne Bailey Rae.
Why is US affected by Canadian wildfires?
Even though Canada has been trying to fight wildfires for several months now, the continuous burning have prompted hazardous air pollution conditions in the US this week, as smoke moves south and lingers over much of America’s northeast.
Smoke from the blazes in various parts of the country has been lapping into the US since last month but intensified with a recent spate of fires in Quebec, where more than 100 fires were burning and considered out of control. Across the border, the effects of the blazes blotted out skylines and irritated throats.
With agency inputs