Ontario Wildfires Spread as Smoke Blankets Parts of the U.S.

The News

Canada wildfires intensify as smoke blankets parts of the U.S.

Wildfires burning across Ontario have grown ‌to 735,000 hectares (1.8 million acres), from 650,000 hectares over the weekend, Canadian Premier Doug Ford said on Monday, as air quality from smoke improved in much of the province but remained unhealthy in parts of the U.S. Midwest.

Ford said at a press conference in Toronto that the province is battling 190 active blazes and around 1,800 residents had been evacuated from sparsely populated communities in northwestern Ontario.

"We will not spare a ⁠penny fighting these fires and keeping people safe," Ford said.

The wildfires, which are mostly in difficult-to-access areas, have increased tensions between Canada and the U.S., where some politicians have criticised Canada's response, according to Reuters report. Heavy smoke from fires in northern and western Ontario as well as northern Minnesota brought the world's worst air quality to Toronto last week, which then spread to New York and Washington.

Air quality has since improved in southern Ontario as well as the U.S. Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, although it remained poor in several U.S. states in the Midwest, the Reuters report said.

As of 11:30 a.m. ET (1530 GMT), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow site rated the air quality as "unhealthy" or "unhealthy for sensitive groups" in an area covering parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.

Major forest fires have become a regular occurrence in Canada, home to some of the world's largest forests. Climate experts say rising temperatures have led to drier timber and increased fire risk.



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