Canada: Wildfire smoke choking citizens but proving helpful to cool blazes

The wildfire smoke blanketing the western region of Canada triggered health warnings for people but was also helping to cool blazes by blocking out a hot sun across hard-hit portions of the country on Sunday (May 21). Speaking to reporters, Christie Tucker of the Alberta Wildfire said, "Many Albertans obviously can't get away from the smoke this weekend. It is thick in many parts of the province."

"But they would also have noticed that temperatures are cooler than they would have been if there was no smoke covering the sun," Tucker said and explained that less heat meant there was less growth of fires.

"While we're optimistic that the forecast rain will be enough to make a difference to some wildfires in the province, we are not out of the woods yet," the official added.

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Tens of thousands of people displaced

The wildfire in Alberta has displaced tens of thousands of people and scorched more than 941,000 hectares over several weeks. The province is enduring energy production cuts, home evacuations, and poor air quality after an intense start to the wildfire season.

According to a report by the news agency Reuters early Monday, Alberta Wildfire responded to 496 wildfires burning more than 842,000 hectares, compared with just 459 hectares last year.

During the Victoria Day weekend, authorities in Alberta closed some parks and campgrounds, and residents were urged to limit outdoor activities.

Wildfire smoke entersseveral US states

The wildfire in Canada has sent smoke to many American states, including Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Utah, and Washington, impacting the air quality in some areas, with authorities issuing air quality alerts.

On Sunday, more than 2,800 firefighters from Canada and the US were battling about 91 active wildfires.

Several oil and gas companies had to sporadically stop or restart production in Alberta because of the fluctuating fire-related risks. Data firm Refinitiv said that in the past couple of weeks, gas flowing from Canada to the UShas averaged just 7.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd), well below the 8.4-bcfd average exported since the start of 2023 and 9.0-bcfd last year.

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