maaxx.ca

Ottawa –

Great forest fire in Canada setting off thick smoke even in neighboring countries, namely the United States. New York City, also affected, saw the sky turn yellow.

Reported Reuters, Sunday (10/6/2023), Canadian government meteorologists predicted that rain will likely help clear skies over eastern Canada, although it is unlikely to reach the Quebec region where find forest fires. Mentioned that there are 426 hotspots in Canada Saturday of which 144 were in Quebec.

At least 4.4 million hectares of land burned, forcing thousands of Canadians to flee. The blaze also produced thick smoke that made it difficult for residents from Toronto to New York to breathe.

Gerald Cheng, as the Canadian meteorologist, said rain is expected today in southern Ontario and Quebec region. Cheng said the northern Quebec region – where the biggest fires have occurred – will not get rain until Tuesday next week.

“The problem is that the intensity of the rain that occurs should not be significant,” he said.

Thick smoke covers New York

Previously reported Thursday, June 8, 2023, smoke from the wildfires in Canada it caused heavy smog in New York and several other cities in the United States. In New York itself, thick smoke was seen covering 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.

The office of New York City Mayor Eric Adams has 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.

Watch the video “Health risks from the effects of wildfires”:

(dhn/mae)