Wildfire Smoke Impacts New England Amidst Ongoing Fires in Canada and the U.S.

Wildfire Smoke Reaches New England

On Thursday afternoon, wildfire smoke from hundreds of raging fires in the Western United States and Canada swept across New England. A long plume of haze has the potential to degrade air quality in coastal cities, affecting areas such as Delaware, New Jersey, Cape Cod, New Hampshire, New York City, and even parts of Maine. This alarming trend echoes last summer’s events when Canada’s unprecedented wildfires blanketed vast regions of the United States, reaching as far south as Florida. With the current fires, there are rising concerns that this year’s wildfire season may replicate that intensity.

Where Are the Fires Concentrated?

Currently, wildfires are actively burning across Western Canada and the Western United States. As of Thursday morning, there were 89 active wildfires that had scorched over 1.6 million acres, with the most severe outbreaks primarily occurring in Oregon and Washington. In Canada’s westernmost provinces, Alberta and British Columbia, more than 600 wildfires are ongoing, prompting the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents from their homes, including areas around Jasper, a well-known tourist destination.

Officials in British Columbia and Calgary, Alberta’s largest city, have issued warnings regarding deteriorating air quality levels this week. Some forecasts have been described as alarmingly low, with Mike Flannigan, a professor specializing in wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, labeling the predictions as “horrific.”

Dr. Flannigan emphasized the connection between climate change and the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires, stating, “A warmer world means more fire. These fires are consistent with what we expect with climate change.”