Smoke From Hundreds of Canada Wildfires Blankets U.S. Midwest and Northeast

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Reuters and AFP, smoke from hundreds of wildfires in Canada has spread across a wide area from the U.S. Midwest to the Northeast, prompting U.S. officials to warn residents to stay indoors if possible. States near the Canadian border, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois, have been hit especially hard, while air quality has also deteriorated in the Northeast, including New York State. According to air-quality monitor IQAir, Detroit had the worst air quality among cities worldwide on Thursday, July 16, with an air pollution index of 600, twice the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “hazardous” threshold. Federal data showed hazardous haze in Minnesota, Michigan, northern Illinois, northern Ohio and Ontario, while at least part of 10 states from Minnesota in the north to Maryland in the south recorded air quality at the “unhealthy” level. In New York, local officials urged residents to cut outdoor activity and advised older adults, pregnant women and people with heart or lung conditions to remain indoors. Canada said there were 858 wildfires nationwide as of Thursday morning, including 111 that were out of control, with most concentrated in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario. Canadian government data showed this season’s wildfires have burned about 2.4 million hectares, while climate experts said rising global temperatures are increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires around the world.