Canadian wildfires force 17,000 to evacuate; smoke expected to hit the U.S. this weekend
Smoke from massive wildfires that are burning out of control across western and central Canada, forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate, is expected to move south toward the U.S. and reduce air quality across multiple northern states on Friday and Saturday.
The fires have pushed the leaders of Canada’s Manitoba and Saskatchewan provinces to declare states of emergency, while other provinces, including Alberta and Ontario, are facing an “extreme” risk of wildfires on Friday — the highest level on Environment Canada’s risk scale.
"The conditions that our northern residents, communities and wildland firefighters are facing today are as severe or quite likely unlike anything we have faced in quite some time, if not ever," Scott Moe, the premier of Saskatchewan, said at a press conference Thursday.
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What’s happening in Canada?
On Thursday, the country raised its National Preparedness Level, which describes the wildfire activity and demand for firefighters and equipment, to a 5, which is unusually high for this time of year. In 2024, Canada did not reach that level until mid-July.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/canadian-wildfires-force-17000-to-evacuate-smoke-expected-to-hit-the-us-this-weekend-155931582.html
The west coast hasn't been affected, so far. I remember years past the air quality left a bit to be desired because of the smoke coming down from Canada.