There were ten new wildfires in Canada, bringing the total number of wildfires this year to 2,405, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. As of Friday, there were 422 active wildfires, a decrease from the previous day’s 431.
The number of out-of-control wildfires also decreased to 219 on Friday from Thursday’s 234. The centre’s website provides daily updates on the situation.
As of Friday, 89 wildfires were being held and 114 were under control. Wildfires have burned approximately 45,000 square kilometres of land in Canada so far this year, making 2023 one of the worst years for wildfires on record.
Unsettled weather in Alberta caused new fires. The north experienced hot, dry, and windy weather, and extreme fire weather is expected.
In Ontario, limited suppression action and ignition were being taken against two larger fires in the far north. The centre predicts more lightning fires, both from existing and new lightning events.
Images of smoke shrouding the New York skyline and the Washington Monument this week have given the world a new view of the dangers of wildfires. This is far from the places where fires often cause hazardous haze.
For millions of people on the US East Coast, the third day of unhealthy air from Canadian wildfires may have been a scary new experience. However, scientists say that this serves as a reminder of the conditions that regularly trouble the West of the country. It is also a wake-up call about the future.
The smoke has now drifted over Norway and is expected to hit southern Europe, according to officials from the Norwegian Climate and environmental research institute (NILU). Scientists used a climate forecast model to predict how the smoke would travel through the atmosphere, flowing over the Scandinavian country before moving further south. The smoke is not expected to pose a health risk in Norway.
“The smoke from the forest fires in Canada is still drifting in over Norway. It will also reach other parts of Europe over the next few days,” said the institute on Twitter.
The smoke has moved over Greenland and Iceland since 1 June, and observations in southern Norway have recorded increasing concentrations of aerosolized particles, the independent research institution said.
