Smoke from a Canadian wildfire is still affecting the United States, prompting air quality alerts in at least 11 states throughout the Midwest, Plains, and Great Lakes region on Sunday. Forecasters anticipate that over 60 million people from Montana to Ohio will endure poor air quality and reduced visibility, including inhabitants of Cedar Rapids, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cleveland.
On Sunday, the Air Quality Index was in the “unhealthy” range, ranging from Level 4 to 6, throughout a vast portion of the northern Plains from Montana to Illinois. “While the concentration of smoke in the atmosphere should begin to wane by Monday, there is still enough smoke to support unhealthy air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups in parts of these regions into the start of the upcoming week,” the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Centre stated.
Canadian officials revealed the death of a second firefighter as a result of the wildfires
According to experts, the winds will blow smoke eastward resulting in a smoky haze to the Northeast early this week. According to the British Columbia Wildfire Service, the plume arose from 400 fires lit in the province of British Columbia recently, nearly half of which were started by 51,000 lightning strikes from thunderstorms. On Sunday, Canadian officials revealed the death of a second firefighter as a result of the wildfires.
“We regret to share the tragic news that a firefighter from Fort Liard has passed away from an injury sustained while fighting a wildfire in the Fort Liard District Saturday afternoon,” said Canada’s Northwest Territories, in a statement. On Thursday, officials announced the death of the first firefighter, who was fighting a blaze near the town of Revelstoke in southern British Columbia,
