Smoke from wildfires in Canada and West Coast spreads across North America
Intense wildfires in western Canada have sent plumes of smoke across North America, and fires in Oregon, Idaho and California are also causing air quality to drop.
Intense wildfires in western Canada have sent huge plumes of smoke sweeping across North America in recent days — pollution that has been captured in images by NASA satellites, aircraft and ground-based observatories.
An animation NASA released Friday showed smoke blanketing British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories in Canada, and drifting over Montana, Colorado, Kansas, Wisconsin and other parts of the Midwest.
Wildfire smoke over Canada from July 17-July 24, 2024.NASA Earth ObservatoryThe maps use NASA data to show the concentration and movement of black carbon, a type of aerosol pollution released by wildfires, over North America from July 17 to July 24.
As of Friday afternoon, 948 active fires were burning in Canada, including 387 considered out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. One fast-moving blaze caused widespread destruction to Jasper, a popular alpine resort town in Alberta, and forced 25,000 people to evacuate.
Large fires in the Pacific Northwest and California are polluting nearby air, as well. Over the past week, air quality alerts and advisories have been issued in Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming. Smoky skies were also reported in North Dakota, South Dakota and across the High Plains.
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