OTTAWA — Clean Air Day never felt like more of an oxymoron in Canada, as Ontarians and Quebecers whose cities don’t typically smell of campfire reckoned with dangerous levels of woodsmoke billowing down from more than 150 wildfires in Quebec.
On a day Canada’s federal government set aside to recognize the importance of healthy air quality, the sun was shrouded by smoke and the breeze carried ash thousands of miles.
Canadians weren’t alone. The eastern seaboard of the United States was cloaked in smoggy skies as a massive plume moved south across the border. By midday Wednesday, most residents of central New York state were advised to remain indoors.
Back on Parliament Hill, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked first responders for working to contain hundreds of out-of-control wildfires in seven Canadian provinces and one northern territory. His emergency preparedness minister, Bill Blair, assured the country that every level of government was in lockstep: “It’s all hands on deck and it’s around the clock.”
Still, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos had a sobering forecast in Ottawa on Wednesday: “We are told by firefighters and other health officials that unfortunately the situation is going to continue for a few more days.”
Here is a snapshot of current conditions:
2,293
Number of fires in Canada this year — so far.
414
The number of fires burning now, 239 of those determined to be out of control.
1,396,659
The approximate square mileage of Canada’s forest area.
3
Canada’s global ranking in total forest area.
3.8 million
Number of hectares in Canada that have burned — a rate on pace to break records.
120,000
Number of Canadians affected by evacuations to date in 2023. The number of people currently displaced in British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Nova Scotia is 20,183.
13
The number of U.S. states that have issued air quality alerts.
55 million
Number of people in eastern U.S. under air quality alerts.
391
The U.S. Air Quality Index for Syracuse, N.Y., at 12 p.m. — a “hazardous” reading on the scale that tops out at 500. Advice to residents: “Everyone should stay indoors and reduce activity levels.”
84
Average flight delay in minutes at Newark Liberty International Airport.
10+
The Air Quality Health Index for Ottawa on Wednesday. The federal advice for the general population: “Reduce or reschedule strenuous activities outdoors.”
1,000
Number of international firefighters now deployed in Canada.
109
Number of French firefighters arriving Thursday in Quebec.
130
Number of Canadian Armed Forces personnel assisting in Alberta.
4
Number of weeks a teenaged Jonathan Wilkinson, now Canada’s minister of natural resources, spent as a volunteer firefighter in backcountry Saskatchewan in the early 1980s.
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