Toronto, the most populous city in Canadacanceled this Friday the poor air quality alert that it had maintained for four days due to the effect of the smoke of two hundred forest fires They are active in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.
The rain that fell in Toronto this Friday as well as the change in the direction of the wind improved conditions in the city, said the Canadian Meteorological Service.
Smoke from Ontario, Quebec wildfires in Toronto lifts.https://t.co/ORjZsml3t6
— CTV Toronto (@CTVToronto) June 9, 2023
On Wednesday, air quality in the Greater Toronto Area, home to some 6 million people, a seventh of Canada’s population, reached its worst point, forcing authorities to recommend that the elderly, children and individuals with medical problems avoid outdoor activities.
Although air quality is improving, some 200 fires remain active in the northern provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Across Canada the number is 413, half of them out of control.
Since the beginning of the year, the llamas have consumed around 4.3 million hectares of forest and vegetation, a figure 16 times higher than the average for the last decade.
Authorities and scientists have pointed to climate change as the factor that is causing this exceptional number of fires.
Meanwhile, in Quebec, with some 150 active forest fires, the authorities are confident that the situation will stabilize in the coming days thanks to the weather conditions and the arrival of firefighters from various countries.
Quebec Prime Minister Francois Legault confirmed on Thursday that 100 French firefighters are scheduled to arrive this Friday. Another 50 will move to the neighboring province of New Brunswick.
In addition, Quebec is scheduled to arrive in the coming days of about 100 American firefighters and 260 from other countries.
Quebec is also in talks with countries such as Costa Rica and Chile to send more personnel if necessary.
Also on Thursday, US President Joe Biden offered Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau his full support to fight the fires whose smoke has unexpectedly affected millions of people on the US East Coast.
Hundreds of American firefighters have recently arrived in Canada, and more are on the way. On the phone today, I spoke with @POTUS Biden about this critical support – and I thanked him for all the help Americans are providing as we continue to fight these devastating wildfires.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 7, 2023
Some media commented that on Tuesday the city of New York had come to register the worst air pollution in the world due to the intense smoke from the forest fires in Canada.
The US has already sent some 600 firefighters to Canada and Biden has ordered his government to use all the necessary federal resources to put out the fires.
With information from Efe.
