Global Courant
OTTAWA –
The number of wildfires burning across Canada has risen over the past week and more dangerous air quality warnings were issued in parts of Ontario and Quebec on Sunday.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, known as CIFFC, reported 465 active fires across the country, including 240 that are out of control. Nearly a quarter of those fires occur in Quebec, and Environment Canada warned that wind patterns caused smoke from some of those fires to settle over the western part of the province and eastern Ontario.
The smoke and fires led to the cancellation of an Ironman triathlon race in Mont Tremblant, Que. halted youth football and baseball programs in Ottawa and Montreal and forced city officials in Ottawa and the neighboring city of Gatineau, Que., to close outdoor pools and declare beaches a swimming ban.
About 3,700 athletes would compete in the triathlon in the popular Quebec resort town, about 80 miles northwest of Montreal. But when they arrived Sunday morning, they found a layer of ash on their bikes and a thick haze floating in the air.
“In co-operation with provincial health authorities due to the ash alert and high concentrations of fine particulates causing a poor air quality index (AQI) spreading across the Tremblant region, we regret to inform that Sunday’s IRONMAN 70.3 Mont-Tremblant Triathlon has been canceled due to the safety of all involved,” race organizers posted on their website.
The record-breaking fire season and the expectation of continued hot, dry weather have also caused some cities to cancel or rethink planned fireworks for Canada Day next weekend.
Gatineau banned fireworks scheduled for Saturday before the Saint-Jean-Baptiste holiday and also bans them on July 1. North Bay, Ont. reported Friday that it had considered canceling fireworks for Canada Day, but for now they can go ahead.
North Bay was one of the towns covered in smoke again on Sunday.
Environment Canada said the air quality index in eastern and northern Ontario, including Ottawa, North Bay and Sudbury, was above 10 on Sunday, considered a very high risk. Gatineau, Montreal and its suburbs received the same rating.
Vulnerable people are advised to completely avoid strenuous outdoor activities, while everyone else should severely limit it.
“People with lung conditions such as asthma, patients with heart disease, older adults, children, pregnant people and people who work outside the home are at greater risk for health effects caused by wildfire smoke,” the weather bureau said in its air quality warnings.
The agency said air quality in Quebec City would also be at high risk throughout Sunday. Winnipeg and the city of Flin Flon in northern Manitoba may see a high air quality risk Sunday afternoon and evening.
Poor air quality is expected to clear in Manitoba and northern Ontario on Monday, but may remain above safe levels in eastern Ontario and western Quebec until at least Monday evening.
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said last week that the biggest risk from wildfire smoke is the fine particles known as PM2.5, which settle in your lungs when inhaled, causing inflammation and irritation.
She said a high-quality, well-fitting face mask, such as an N95, can help reduce the amount of PM2.5 someone inhales.
The number of fires that are actively burning has increased over the past week. CIFFC reported 412 active fires, 208 of which were out of control as of June 18. Ontario and Alberta saw the largest spikes in fire activity.
So far this year, nearly 72,000 square kilometers of forest have burned, an area nearly four times the size of Lake Ontario.
There are several reports on the exact record for the most amount of land burned by wildfires in a single year in Canada, but all indices show that this year is fast approaching to be the worst wildfire year the country has ever seen.
More than 13,000 square kilometers burned in the past seven days, or an area three times the size of the city of Toronto each day on average.
Most fires in April and May were related to human activities, such as campfires. But 70 percent of the 1,053 fires that started since June 1 were caused by lightning.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 25, 2023.
