A series of wildfires burning in Canada sparked the heavy smoke and smog that painted the New York City skyline orange and produced some of the worst air quality levels the Northeast has seen in decades.
The flames, which started in early June and have destroyed Ontario and Quebec, have had an impact on both Canadians and Americans. Earlier in June, 14,000 residents in Quebec were evacuated, according to Canadian media. The fires in Canada produced dense smoke, causing air quality alerts. A similar impact occurred in the Northeast, with cities such as New York and Philadelphia being covered in a thick haze that finally moved south to Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
The smoke is expected to progressively clear the East Coast of the United States throughout the weekend, while the fires in Canada remain intense.
Are the fires under control?
There are now 417 active fires in Canada, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. These flames are on both coastlines of the nation, according to a map updated daily by the CIFFC.
218 of the fires have been declared “out of control.” Only 108 are labelled “under control,” with another 91 “being held.” A fire that is held indicates that it is not moving but is not considered under control, and its status might change.
There are 34 ongoing fires in Ontario, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. According to the agency, half of them were still uncontrollable as of Friday evening. Seven are being held, one is being observed, and nine are being controlled.
