Weather of Arabia - Reuters - Forest fires continued Thursday across Canada, which is experiencing the worst start to the forest fire season ever, forcing thousands of residents to leave their homes, at a time when smog moved to American cities.
The minister responsible for emergency preparedness in the federal government, Bill Blair, said that the fires had already burned about 3.8 million hectares , nearly 15 times the average in 10 years, and the warm and dry weather was expected to continue in the coming months.
Although wildfires are common in Canada, it is unusual for the fires to burn simultaneously in the east and west, increasing the cost of fighting the fires and forcing the Canadian government to send the army to help.
Hundreds of American firefighters have arrived in Canada to help, and more are on the way.
And the forest fires in Canada caused a deterioration in air quality on the east coast of the United States, where the effects of smoke reached it on Wednesday and spread widely.
On Wednesday, the White House called on Americans with health problems to take appropriate precautions to prevent air pollution on the East Coast.
Hundreds of American firefighters have recently arrived in Canada, and more are on the way. On the phone today, I spoke with @POTUS Biden about this critical support - and I thank him for all the help Americans are providing as we continue to fight these devastating wildfires.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 7, 2023
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attributed the fires to climate change. "These fires are affecting order, daily lives and livelihoods, and our air quality," he said on Twitter.
Some of the worst fires have been raging in eastern Quebec, and more than 11,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes in the province.
The wildfire season began unusually early in Alberta last month, burning a record amount of land. Nova Scotia is also continuing to fight the largest wildfires it has ever seen.
Temperatures in parts of British Columbia, which is facing the second largest wildfire on record, are expected to reach 33 degrees Celsius, before thunderstorms and heavy rains arrive, experts estimate, on Friday.
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