Canada wildfires send smoke across US as over 800 blazes burn

More than 800 wildfires are burning across Canada, with air quality alerts now extending south into multiple US states, the BBC writes.

A thick blanket of smoke clouded skylines from Detroit and Toronto to New York and across New England, causing “hazardous” air quality alerts across much of the region. Smoke haze has severely reduced visibility of landmarks such as the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty in New York City.

Many outdoor events were cancelled as officials urged for people to stay indoors, stressing the dangerous health ramifications of inhaling the fumes.

There are currently 858 fires actively burning in Canada, including 30 new fires that sparked on Thursday, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System. The vast majority are burning out of control.

Wildfires are a part of the natural life cycle of Canada’s vast boreal forest, but they have become more frequent since 2015, said Laura Chasmer, a professor of geography and the environment at the University of Western Ontario.

“This is associated with some of the extreme climate warming that we’ve been seeing, and the atmospheric drying of the surface,” she said.