More than a dozen U.S. states were under air quality alerts on Wednesday as smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires billowed south, forcing authorities to urge residents to stay indoors. inside.
Health officials from Vermont to South Carolina along the East Coast, as well as Ohio and Kansas in the Midwest, have urged millions of residents to limit their time outdoors, warning that fine particulates in the atmosphere could make breathing difficult and pose health risks.
The US National Weather Service has issued air quality advisories from New England to South Carolina.
“Wearing a mask can help limit irritation for people with respiratory illnesses,” the agency’s regional office in Washington DC tweeted. “More smoke is expected on Thursday and Friday.”
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Fires in Canada affect the northern United States and force the cancellation of activities
East Coast schools have canceled outdoor activities, including sports practices, field trips and recess, to protect students from smoke.
In Bethesda, Maryland, a high school moved its graduation ceremony indoors, while an elementary school in Brooklyn, New York postponed its “Spring Fling” dance party. A school in Montclair, New Jersey, has canceled a fifth-grade field trip to Six Flags amusement park.
New York public schools were open, though outdoor events and activities, including a high school graduation, were canceled, postponed or moved indoors.
Smoke crosses the northern border of the United States from Canada, where the wildfire season has started unusually early and intense due to persistent hot and dry conditions. Canada is on track to record the worst fire season in its history.
With information from Reuters.
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