The Canadian Forest Fire Centre: Wildfires in Quebec have burned more than 500 times more than they’ve been in control since mid-June 2005
NASA released satellite images that show a smoke and soot cloud over thousands of miles from the province of Quebec.
The smoke that has reached Europe seems to be hanging higher in the air than the low-lying Smoke that triggered dangerous air quality in the US earlier this month.
The U.K.’s Met Office advised Britons to keep their phones handy because of the high altitude smoke which may make for some vivid sunrises and sunsets.
There is no air pollution in Europe, but people close to the fires in Quebec are having to deal with smoke. As of Tuesday morning, more than 140 communities were under air quality alerts, according to federal agency Environment Canada.
Over 500 wildfires are burning in Canada and more than half are out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. That’s up from around 450 fires that were burning in mid-June.
“Already, the amount of land that’s burned in Quebec this year is 10 times greater than what’s been typical over the last few decades,” as NPR’s Nate Rott reported on Monday.
Fires in the Northeastern U.S. Have Caused Air Quality Problems, and There Is One Way to Prevent More Disasters
Depending on wind and other conditions, people in the northeast U.S. have been exposed to smoke that poses a recurring risk. On Sunday, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection issued an air quality alert, but they did not have an alert in effect.
There is a growing trend of larger and more frequent wildfires in the U.S. as a result of climate change according to the United Nations.
When air quality plummets, experts recommend that you stay inside as much as possible and wear a N95 or similar respirator outside, to limit strenuous activity.
The National Weather Service said the poor air quality caused by wildfire smoke could persist for a couple of days, though forecast specifics may change.
The haze from the fires in Canada is reducing visibility and has prompted air quality warnings in several states.