Canadian Wildfire Chokes US Skies, Disrupting Flights, Prompting Health Alerts

India-West News Desk

BOSTON, MA -Smoke from hundreds of wildfires in Canada has caused ground delays at Boston’s Logan International Airport and triggered air quality alerts across the Upper Midwest and Northeast of the US. The Federal Aviation Administration reported a 52-minute flight delay at Logan on August 4 afternoon due to low visibility, following a brief earlier ground stop.

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, 742 wildfires are currently burning in Canada, with 201 of them out of control. These fires, located in remote areas of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia, have so far this year consumed over 6.7 million acres.

Eight states, from Wisconsin to Maine, are under air quality advisories. In New York, “unhealthy” air quality was recorded in several areas.

Exposure to fine particles can lead to short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose and shortness of breath. (with IANS inputs)