Wildfire Smoke Smothers a Third of the U.S.

Smoke from wildfires raging in three Canadian provinces has engulfed about a third of the U.S., forecasters reported on Wednesday, notably impacting air quality in New England and sections of New York State as well as the Midwest.

The thick haze, responsible for hazardous particulate pollution levels in Minnesota a day earlier, extended from the Dakotas through the Ohio Valley to the Northeast and as far south as Georgia, based on information from the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center located in College Park, Maryland. The density of the smoke was quite pronounced in New York and New England. "Much of the smoke is situated in the upper atmosphere, leading to minimal air quality issues in many areas," explained Marc Chenard of the National Weather Service. "However, areas like New York and Connecticut are experiencing poorer air quality as the smoke is denser and located in the lower atmosphere."

Wildfires have proliferated across Canada since May, with over 212 active fires reported by Tuesday afternoon, half of which are out of control according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Approximately 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) have already been consumed. Predominantly, the fires are occurring in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Yang Liu, an environmental health professor from Emory University in Atlanta, highlighted the increased vulnerability of infants, the elderly, and frail individuals to the smoke, stressing that everyone is at risk. "The impact is universal across different demographics," Liu stated. "It poses a significant threat."

(With inputs from agencies.)