See pictures and videos of the 2023 Canadian wildfires and their impact across the planet
Wildfires in Canada have been raging for weeks with more than 500 fires burning in the country, the vast majority uncontrolled. The fires are sending smoke into the U.S. and as far as Europe. Here are videos and pictures of the 2023 Canadian wildfires and their impact.
Canada
Wildfires are burning in several Canadian provinces. In Quebec, the fires were sparked by lightning. The fires raging in Alberta have an unknown cause, but this province, as well as Saskatchewan and Manitoba, have been hit with bad droughts. This and record heat have contributed to the fires.
Wildfires in Canada throughout May and June have created a record level of emissions and many of the fires show little sign of slowing down, according to the European Union's Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service.
As of June 29, there were 507 fires burning in the country, with 243 out of control, according to Canada's Interagency Forest Fire Center. More than 8.1 million hectares — over than 31,000 square miles — have burned. Most fires were in Quebec or British Columbia.
The wildfires have affected air quality in many cities — and not just in Canada, but also in the U.S. The cities closest to the source will have more intense levels of smoke and worse air quality, meteorologist Jen Carfagno and hurricane and storm specialist Greg Postel, both of The Weather Channel, told CBS News.
Hundreds of active Canadian wildfires led to eerie orange skies over Ontario and a fiery sunrise in South CarolinaHundreds of active Canadian wildfires led to eerie orange skies over Ontario and a fiery sunrise in South Carolina on Tuesday morning. Residents in the Northeastern U.S. reported similar scenes as the smoke continued to travel through the atmosphere. https://cbsn.ws/3oNUTbE
Posted by CBS News on Tuesday, June 6, 2023
The Midwest
On Thursday, Detroit had the worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir, a company that tracks air quality around the world, with Chicago coming in eleventh-worst.
The smoke from the wildfires to the north caused "very unhealthy" air quality conditions, according to the federal AirNow site, prompting officials to urge people not to go outside for long periods of time, especially those with sensitivities.
Both Detroit and Chicago were classified as having "unhealthy" air quality as of Thursday, according to AirNow, while Minneapolis had been downgraded from unhealthy to "moderate."
Eastern U.S.
Cities like Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh saw the effects of the wildfire smoke as it seeped across the U.S. Carfagno and Postel said Washington, D.C. was projected to be the East Coast city affected the most this week.
As of Thursday, Washington, D.C. had the second-worst air quality in the world behind only Detroit, per IQAir.
As of Thursday night, New York City and Philadelphia were had "unhealthy" air quality according to AirNow, and both cities were under air quality alerts.
Earlier in June, both cities were covered in a dusty haze as the smoke converged on them. The haze, which often makes the sky look bright orange during sunrise or sunset, lasted about a day.
The sky in Manhattan turned a hazy shade of orange as Canadian wildfires continue to cause poor air quality in the northeastern U.SThe sky in Manhattan turned a hazy shade of orange as Canadian wildfires continue to cause poor air quality in the northeastern U.S., posing a health danger to millions of people. https://cbsn.ws/43NiXdz
Posted by CBS News on Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Cities in northwestern New York, like Buffalo, had unhealthy air quality and residents saw a haze this week, but the National Weather Service forecasted that Buffalo would see conditions improve by Thursday night.
Europe
On Monday, NASA said images from its Terra satellite showed smoke moving across the Atlantic to Europe, affecting Spain and Portugal and later spreading to other countries. Images from Spain showed the sky looking hazy from the smoke on Monday.