Elizabeth Mikkungwak thought the nearby garbage dump must be on fire. Acrid smoke clouded the skies over Baker Lake, a tiny Arctic hamlet and the only inland community in Nunavut, the largest in area of the three northern territories in Canada.
A safety alert issued by the authorities in the hamlet in May gave the real reason for the smoke: wildfires on the Prairies.
This year has been the second worst on record for wildfires in Canada, after 2023. Canadian officials warned earlier this week that heat and dry conditions would persist across the western provinces into September, priming the area for continued blazes.
[Read: What to Know About Canada’s Fire Forecast]
Wildfire smoke has in recent years become a more important factor in summertime outdoor recreation planning.
American politicians complained in July that Canada’s smoke spoiling their summers. Some outdoor tourism operators in the Atlantic provinces were dealt a blow this month when the premiers of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick took drastic steps to prevent accidental fires caused by humans, banning outdoor activities such as hiking and fishing in forested areas. There have been outdoor pool closings in Newfoundland, canceled professional football practices in Manitoba and shuttered youth soccer tournaments in Yukon.
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The post An Unusual Sight Over Canada’s Arctic: Wildfire Smoke appeared first on New York Times.
