After Alberta at the beginning of May, it is Quebec’s turn to burn under the effect of forest fires. Impressive fires are currently ravaging all of eastern Canada, fanned by the wind which disperses the smoke all along the coast, to the United States. The entire region is thus plunged under a veritable blanket of dust, making the air difficult to breathe.
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Like Ottawa, the Canadian capital, located a few kilometers west of Abitibi-Témiscamingue. It is in this region, as well as along the St. Lawrence River east of Montreal, that the fires are the most devastating. Totally encapsulated in a huge cloud of smog, the city of Ottawa has very poor air quality, likely to expose the population to a “very high risk”, according to Environment Canada.
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Same observation, here, in Montreal where the municipal authorities have called on the inhabitants to exercise caution. Considered “high” throughout the day on Tuesday by Environment Canada, the risks related to air quality are again “low” this Thursday. It must be said that the smog cloud is currently sliding towards the neighboring United States.
Many flights delayed at New York airport
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In New York, the cloud of smoke even took on an ocher color, as if a sandstorm was hitting the Big Apple. Enough to make it the most polluted city in the world this Tuesday, according to the Swiss site IQAir. “We recommend that frail New Yorkers stay indoors and all residents should limit outdoor activities as much as possible. This is not the day to train for a marathon or go play with your children outside,” said in front of the press Eric Adams, the mayor of the city.
Surgical masks, ubiquitous in the heart of the pandemic, were quick to reappear on the faces of residents. In addition, many flights were delayed from JFK airport.
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Georgia and Alabama soon affected
Located more than 1,100 kilometers from the flames, Washington DC does not escape the fog that envelopes the obelisk of the National Monument here. The White House was also barely visible several hundred meters away and a nauseating smell spread to the four corners of the city. As in New York and the state of Maryland, public schools have canceled outdoor activities for children.
The smoke should continue to progress in the coming days and reach Georgia and Alabama. For now, more than 100 million Americans are currently affected by air quality alerts, the environmental protection agency told AFP. United States President Joe Biden has offered his help to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as nearly 2,300 forest fires have already been recorded in Canada in 2023.