The situation continues to deteriorate. Toxic smoke fell on Wednesday, June 7, on several American cities, from eastern Canada, hit by intense forest fires.

The unusually early and intense start to the fire season raises fears for Canada of a particularly destructive year, as hot, dry conditions are expected to persist for months.

South of the border, more than a dozen U.S. states were under air quality alerts Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires headed south, casting a gray, dull pallor across the New York skyline into the states of Virginia and Indiana.

"If you have heart or respiratory problems, be careful when you're outside. Smoke from forest fires in Canada is impacting the air in our city, which is why an air quality health advisory has been issued. Try to limit outdoor activities today to absolute necessities," warned New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

"If you're a New Yorker with heart or breathing issues, be careful when you're outdoors. Smoke from wildfires in Canada is impacting our city's air, so an Air Quality Health Advisory has been issued. Try to limit outdoor activities today to the absolute necessities."

– @NYCMayor pic.twitter.com/e2t8XfN8XZ

— City of New York (@nycgov) June 6, 2023

Similar instructions have been given in several other US cities including Baltimore, Maryland, where authorities have advised residents to limit efforts outside.

Almost every province and territory in Canada is affected by these fires, particularly Quebec. The country's second-most populous region has so far seen four times as many wildfires as the average of the past decade, with some 149 active fires as of Wednesday.

More than 3 million hectares burned

Residents of the northern Quebec cities of Chibougamau and Ouje-Bougoumou received evacuation orders Tuesday night, as thousands of people were forced from their homes last week in the province.

In neighbouring Ontario, Canada's most populous province, deteriorating air quality is forecast this week in cities like Ottawa and Toronto, due to plumes of smoke from forest fires in Quebec.

Wildfires are common in Canada's western provinces, but this year the flames have escalated rapidly in eastern Canada, forcing residents to evacuate their homes and the federal government to send the military to the scene.

About 3.3 million hectares have already burned, 13 times more than the ten-year average, and more than 120,000 people have been forced, at least temporarily, to leave their homes.

With Reuters

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