Smoke from Canadian wildfires is unsettling communities in the Midwest and Northeast United States, prompting changes in activities for children and warnings for adults.
New York City recorded its highest level of air pollution ever. Officials in both countries are urging affected residents to stay indoors and wear N95 masks outdoors.
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The severity of Canada’s wildfire smoke has startled the United States and could prompt eastern communities to learn safety lessons from the fire-prone west.
Wildfires can regenerate natural landscapes and are common in Canada. But it’s been a tough start to the fire season. Although it’s difficult to directly attribute individual fires to climate change, much of Canada had a warm and dry spring — a combination made more likely by rising global temperatures.
Exposure to massive wildfires “used to be something of a one-time thing,” says Keith Bein, an air quality researcher at the University of California, Davis. “Now it happens more often and almost every season.”
Veteran firefighters in the west may be able to share their lessons with their friends on the east coast. Preparation and public awareness are key, they say.
Wildfire Smoke Ready Week is held in Missoula, Montana every year. And in California, there’s a pilot program for public “clean air centers” for people at risk of smoking — similar to “cooling centers” that provide shelter from extreme heat.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires has shrouded the New York City skyline in a Halloween haze. The bitter air has reached the Great Lakes region of the United States and the mid-Atlantic, prompting public health warnings.
New York City recorded its highest-ever air pollution levels, surpassing levels experienced by San Francisco during the 2018 California wildfires. And the air in the country’s capital was rated “very unhealthy” on Thursday.
The severity of the smoke has startled communities far from fire-prone western North America, raising questions about local preparedness and safety. Here’s a look at the scope of the fires and warnings.
Why we wrote this
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The severity of Canada’s wildfire smoke has startled the United States and could prompt eastern communities to learn safety lessons from the fire-prone west.
How unusual are the fires in Canada and what to expect for the upcoming fire season?
Wildfires can regenerate natural landscapes and are common in Canada. But a tough start to the fire season has burned 9.4 million hectares in recent weeks — about 15 times the 10-year average, Reuters reports. The sparks are due to a mixture of lightning and possible human causes.
The scale of coast-to-coast fires — and the speed at which they spread — has been something unusual since at least the 1980s, says Daniel Perrakis, a fire researcher with the Department of Natural Resources of Canada. “There’s no way we can get enough firefighters to fight all these fires,” he adds. “It could rain next week, but possibly months from now.”
Ontario Department of Natural Resources and Forestry/The Canadian Press/AP
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Canada’s wildfire season got off to a rough start — with fires blazing across the country — partly due to a warm and dry spring. Here, on June 4, 2023, the Chapleau 3 forest fire burns in the province of Ontario.
“We’re seeing more and more of these fires because of climate change,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on Wednesday. Although its complexity makes it difficult to directly attribute individual fires to climate change, a 2022 United Nations report lists it as one of several factors increasing the risk of wildfires around the world. And much of Canada has had a warm and dry spring – a combination made more likely by rising global temperatures.
In contrast, through July, the U.S. “expects normal to below average fire potential in much of the Southwest, California and Colorado due to snow cover and a wet spring,” says Nick Nauslar, predictive services meteorologist at the National Interagency Fire Center. The Northwest, he adds in an email, “probably has above-average potential.”
How do communities deal with smoke?
Thousands of Canadians were evacuated. The wildfires are also worrying Americans throughout the Midwest and Northeast, causing school closures and early layoffs in New Jersey and delays in city flights from Washington to Boston. Officials in both countries are urging affected residents to stay indoors and wear N95 masks outdoors.
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On June 7, 2023, people wearing masks walk in New York. Health officials urged people to stay indoors or wear masks to protect themselves in cities hit by wildfire smoke.
As air quality in New York City reached “dangerous” levels on Wednesday, Commissioner for Emergency Management Zach Iscol called for solidarity.
“If you are young and healthy, please stop by your neighbors,” he said at a news conference. “Make sure they have the information they need to keep them safe.”
In Toronto, Samantha Green says that when you step outside, “it smells like we’re standing next to a campfire.” The family doctor calls the wildfire smoke a “complex soup of air pollutants.”
Regarding high-efficiency particulate air filters, she says: “People should stay indoors and make sure the indoor air is clean by closing the windows and using a HEPA filter if you have one – or at least making sure they have a good quality filter.” have.” says Dr. Green, President-elect of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.
Experts recommend citizens check local air quality alerts for help determining their daily activities, such as whether they should go jogging outside. Canadians can see their city’s status using the Federal Air Quality Health Index, while Americans can enter their zip code into AirNow.gov.
Even with US firefighting help, it could take weeks or longer to put out the fires in Quebec and beyond. Meanwhile, changes in wind patterns will be a factor determining air quality.
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Joggers trot along the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 8, 2023 in Washington as the sun rises over the Washington Monument and a thick layer of smoke from wildfires rises.
What are the possible solutions to contain the smoke from wildfires?
Exposure to massive wildfires “used to be something of a one-time thing,” says Keith Bein, an air quality researcher at the University of California, Davis. “Now it happens more often and almost every season.”
and region. He’s been answering questions from friends on the east coast about fire. This informal exchange of knowledge suggests the rest of the country could learn from fire veterans in the West.
Preparation and public awareness are key, western wildfire experts say.
“The worst time to respond to a smoke event is when you’re in it,” says Sarah Coefield, air quality specialist with the Missoula City-County Health Department in Montana. Her community hosts an annual Wildfire Smoke Ready Week inspired by one in Washington state.
“We’re trying to kind of flood the airwaves in early summer,” adds Ms. Coefield. Then, “locals start thinking more about the upcoming fire season — but it’s not here yet, so they have time to prepare.” She also directs people to MontanaWildfireSmoke.org for more tips on how to prepare, including how to assemble a do-it-yourself fan and filter combo.
Another idea under development – public “clean air centers” for people at risk of smoking – is similar to the way “cooling centers” provide protection from extreme heat. California has begun investing in these centers as part of a pilot program, upgrading ventilation systems and buying portable air purifiers for buildings like libraries.
