Smoke from Canadian wildfires reaches US and Minnesota due to air quality warning

(NEW YORK) – With over 100 active wildfires burning in Canada, wildfire smoke has migrated across the border into the United States, prompting Minnesota authorities to issue the state’s first air quality warning for 2024.

At least 37 of the 141 active fires in Canadian wildfires have been classified as “out of control,” including one that broke out in British Columbia on Friday and has since expanded to 4,200 acres, requiring the evacuation of the small town of Fort Nelson on the Fort Nelson Indian Reserve , officials said.

Most active wildfires, at least 90, are occurring in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, Canada’s national preparedness level has increased to Level 2 out of 5, meaning “wildfire activity is increasing in one or more jurisdictions.”

In the U.S., smoke from the Canadian wildfires has reached states from Montana to Wisconsin, but was particularly heavy in Minnesota on Sunday. The air quality advisory for Minnesota was issued Sunday and will remain in effect through Monday.

The air quality index (AQI) for much of northern Minnesota today is between 150 and 200, which is “unhealthy,” and has at times exceeded the AQI mark of 200, resulting in a “very unhealthy” zone.

Bemidji, a city in northern Minnesota, recorded an AQI of 212 on Sunday, with residents able to smell smoke in the air at those levels, ranking the city among the worst air quality locations in the world.

Moderate to heavy smoke was expected to surface overnight in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Authorities warned residents, especially those with allergies, to ensure their windows remain closed until Monday morning.

As of sunrise Monday, wildfire smoke was much fainter across the U.S., reaching mid-range from Wisconsin to southern Minnesota.

By Monday evening, Omaha, Nebraska, is expected to experience cloudier skies due to smoke from the wildfire.

There have been more than 950 wildfires in Canada since the start of the year – nearly three times as many as three weeks ago, officials said.

The impact of wildfire smoke in the United States is a growing concern and is expected to get worse, according to a study published in February.

The impact of wildfire smoke could pose frightening health risks for 125 million Americans by mid-century, according to the First Street Foundation, a provider of climate risk data.

In June 2023, smoke from the Canadian wildfires blanketed parts of the Northeast and Midwest in a thick, orange haze.

According to AirNow, 18 states, from Montana to New York and further south to Georgia, were under air quality warnings at the time. New York City tops the world’s worst air quality rankings by a landslide, according to IQ Air.

Wildfire smoke poses a health risk to everyone, but especially to those with existing health problems. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it is linked to strokes, heart disease, respiratory disease, lung cancer and early death.

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