maaxx.ca

Jakarta –

Wildfires occur in Canada. Smoke from the fires has caused heavy smog to spread and overcast areas in the United States (US). Until now, millions of people in the eastern United States have to deal with these unhealthy air quality conditions.

Here’s what is known about the wildfires in Canada that caused thick haze over the United States:

1. Canada affected by major forest fires

Reported Deutsche Welle (DW), Thursday (8/6), Quebec was affected by about 160 wildfires, making it the newest hot spot in Canada. Wildfires have devoured land in various places for weeks.

About 110 cases of wildfires are blazing out of control, so the evacuation process is still underway in the largest city in the northern Quebec region. The western region of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, located about 650 kilometers north of Montreal, was also the hardest hit.

Quebec Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel said the situation this time was “unprecedented” in the province. Most cases of fires are started by human negligence, he added.

Bonnardel notes that unlike western Canada, Quebec has historically not been as vulnerable to large-scale wildfires as these, “but right now they’re all burning.”

2. Triggers thick smoke covering cities in the United States

Smoke from wildfires in Canada has caused heavy smog in New York and several other cities in the United States. Reported DWThursday (8/6) the smoke spread hundreds of miles, as far as New York City and New England, United States of America (US).

Meanwhile in New York it was launched BNC News, Thursday (8/6), heavy smoke was seen covering the buildings on Tuesday (6/6) and Wednesday (7/6) local time. The sky was turning yellow or orange. A city icon, the Statue of Liberty also appears shrouded in a reddish haze from the wildfires that raged in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Nova Scotia.

3. Record set for dangerous air quality

Reported BNC News, Thursday (8/6), the office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued an air quality health warning. A warning has been issued to people with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, to reduce strenuous outdoor activities.

As of 5 p.m. local time Wednesday (7/6), New York City has an air quality index (AQI) of 484, which is classified as “hazardous,” Adams said during a Wednesday press conference. It’s the city’s highest record since the 1960s, he said.

Adams said air quality conditions tended to deteriorate until 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wednesday evening before improving in the evening and Thursday morning. However, conditions will worsen further on Thursday afternoon and evening “as the smoke returns to the city,” Adams said.

4. Current state of forest fires in Quebec

Reported DWThursday (6/8) authorities ordered the evacuation of approximately 7,500 residents of the remote Quebec region of Chibougamau.

Quebec Prime Minister (PM), Francois Legault, said authorities were monitoring the situation “on time”. He added that the situation in certain parts of the province was still “worrying”, particularly in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.

In the northern city of Sept-Îles, some 4,400 residents who had already been evacuated were allowed to return to their homes after rains helped put out the fires.

“We are very happy to see the rain,” Legault said at a press conference in Sept-Îles. Unfortunately, further north there are still “massive fires which will take weeks to die out completely, so we must remain vigilant”, he added.

5. Canada asks for help abroad

Canada is also stepping up calls for international help, as it has more than 480 firefighters Wildfires in Canada fight ground fires. Quebec is currently extinguishing only about 30 of its roughly 160 fires, Legault said.

“When I speak to the premiers of other provinces, they are very upset,” Legault said. About 413 hotspots have been reported across the country since Monday (05/06) morning.

Nearly 1,000 firefighters arrived from Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. Meanwhile, about 200 other French officers and other American officials are also expected to arrive soon to help Canadian authorities.

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke by phone with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday (7/06) to express his gratitude for his “crucial support” in fighting these fires. .

(wia/imk)