Air Quality in New York Declared Poor Due to Active Fires in Canada

Fires know no borders. The smoke released by the fires still active in Canada covered New York City on Tuesday, June 6, drowned in an orange veil. Manhattan’s famous “skyline” was difficult to observe, with poor air quality. “If you are a New Yorker with heart or respiratory problems, be careful when you are outdoors,” the mayor said Tuesday evening.

About 160 fires were still active Tuesday in Quebec, which has become the epicenter of a catastrophic spring on the fire front in Canada. Most of these fires (about 110) in the province of 8 million people are deemed to be out of control.

“We are experiencing a situation never seen, if not out of the ordinary, everywhere in Quebec,” warned François Bonnardel, Minister of Public Security, pointing out that a large part of these fires are “of human cause”. “Usually, the West burns, Quebec does not burn […] but there, it burns everywhere”, he pointed.

Dozens of fires are still active in the west of the country, hit in early May, particularly in Alberta (62 fires) and British Columbia (76), but also in the center, in the province of Saskatchewan (24 ). Quebec has recorded 424 fires since the start of the year, compared to an average of 200 on the same date over the past ten years.

Canada, which, due to its geographical location, is warming faster than the rest of the planet, has been confronted in recent years with extreme weather events whose intensity and frequency have been increased by climate change.

Pushed by the winds, the smoke from the fires that affect the east of the country has reached Montreal and especially the capital, Ottawa, where the poor air quality presents a “very high risk” for the population, according to Environment Canada. Ottawa officials urged residents to avoid outdoor physical activity and said the situation is expected to continue for the rest of the week.