Hundreds of wildfires in Canada continue to cause massive smoke, which has put Toronto, New York, and Washington on the list of cities with the worst air quality in the world. This was reported by the BBC, writes UNN.
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On Saturday, local authorities in Canada and the United States urged residents to limit time outdoors due to dangerous levels of air pollution. Meanwhile, Canadian officials reported that fire activity in Ontario is beginning to subside, and air quality in American cities is expected to improve later in the day.
According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, there are 955 active fires in the country, nearly 200 of them in Ontario. A significant portion of the hotspots remain uncontrolled, leading to evacuations and destruction of homes and infrastructure.
One of the hardest-hit communities is the Indigenous community of Namaygoosisagagun in northern Ontario. According to fire response commander Matthew Hoppe, residents had to urgently evacuate by boat as the fire rapidly approached the settlement.
The community has been completely leveled to the ground
Smoke from the fires has heightened political tensions between the United States and Canada
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose new tariffs against Canada to compensate, in his words, for the "countless" costs the U.S. incurs due to smoke from Canadian fires.
The deterioration of air quality also raised concerns ahead of the FIFA World Cup final, scheduled to take place on Sunday in the state of New Jersey.
In addition to Canada, a difficult situation has also developed in the U.S. state of Minnesota, where more than ten large wildfires are actively burning, covering over 73,000 acres. Due to the unprecedented situation, a state of emergency has been declared there.
According to estimates from the U.S. National Interagency Fire Center and the Canadian Ministry of Natural Resources, the large-scale spread of fires has been facilitated by prolonged heat, a lack of precipitation, and a so-called heat dome that traps hot air and smoke over the region. High temperatures cause vegetation to dry out quickly and become highly flammable fuel, while strong winds during thunderstorms contribute to the further spread of fire.