Last week, the Canadian Wildfire Information System reported to the British Broadcasting Corporation that “there are currently 858 fires actively burning in Canada, including 30 new fires on Thursday.” The BBC added that “the vast majority are burning out of control.”
The BBC later reported that “Many of the wildfires remain out of control, forcing evacuations and destroying homes and infrastructure. The blazes left one tribal community completely decimated in northern Ontario, ripping through the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation with little warning.”
Many continue to burn north of the Minnesota – Canada line and north of Lake Superior in Ontario. Smoke plumes moving to the southeast temporarily made Toronto, New York City, and Washington DC the cities with the worst air quality anywhere.
Droughts have dried up forests in northwestern Ontario, leading to a large number of fires sparked by lightning strikes. Not unlike Appalachian forests, accumulation of natural debris has created significant amounts of natural fuel that raise the potential for fires to burn hotter and longer while creating more damage.
Smoke from those fires crossed the Great Lakes and afflicted air in Wisconsin and Michigan first as the plumes moved in the general direction of Pennsylvania and New York.
As of last Thursday, Hancock County National Weather Service reports referred to “widespread smoke.” The Air Now gauge operated by the federal government for Weirton reported air there as “unhealthy” as early as Thursday afternoon.
Additionally, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection issued a Code Orange Air Quality Alert, “due to elevated particulate matter from wildfire smoke across West Virginia.”
Level Orange indicates that Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected.
By Sunday the air quality had improved in the Harrison County area to Code Yellow, which states that Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are usually sensitive to air pollution
That said, pockets of more intense smoke around Morgantown and Parkersburg kept them in Code Orange through at least Sunday afternoon.
Health officials advise that in a Code Orange, possible measures to take include:
avoid strenuous outdoor activities
stay indoors and close windows
wear a well-fitting N95 mask
seek medical attention for symptoms that include wheezing, breathlessness and chest pain
While changing weather patterns and rain in some areas have reduced the threat, Canada will likely remain vulnerable to wildfires through the end of the summer and into the fall.
