Nearly 90 wildfires burn in Canada as air quality threat looms in upper Midwest

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

INTENSE WILDFIRES IN CANADA ARE SENDING SMOKE INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST OF THE US.

CREATING UNHEALTHY CONDITIONS FOR SOME AMERICANS.

YOU MAY REMEMBER A SIMILAR PROBLEM LAST YEAR–

AS WILDFIRES BURNED TO AMERICA’S NORTH.

LAST YEAR, MARKED THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRE SEASON IN CANADIAN HISTORY.

NOW, PEOPLE ARE BEING EVACUATED FROM BRITISH COLUMBIA AS THE PARKER LAKE FIRE GROWS.

LAST YEAR’S FIRES FORCED 250-THOUSAND CANADIANS TO EVACUATE AND FOUR FIREFIGHTERS DIED.

CURRENTLY, NEARLY 90 FIRES ARE BURNING IN THE COUNTRY.

SOME OF THE BLAZES ARE THREATENING COMMUNITIES IN ALBERTA AND MANITOBA.

EXPERTS SAY THE FIRES HAVE BEEN MADE WORSE BY YEARS OF DROUGHT AND THIS WINTER’S BELOW-NORMAL SNOWPACK.

IT’S ALSO CAUSING UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY LEVELS IN THE US.

ALERTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED IN THE DAKOTAS, MONTANA, WISCONSIN AND MINNESOTA, SO FAR.

THE MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY ADVISED PEOPLE TO REMAIN INDOORS–

UNTIL THE WARNING EXPIRED MONDAY AFTERNOON.

MOST OF THE SMOKE IS EXPECTED TO STAY OVER MINNESOTA.

BUT SOME COULD DRIFT SOUTH OF IOWA AND CHICAGO– BY TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY.

ADDING TO THE PROBLEM AGRICULTURAL BURNING IN MEXICO BROUGHT UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY TO TEXAS EARLIER THIS MONTH.

IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA OF POOR AIR QUALITY–

OFFICIALS ADVISE PEOPLE TO STAY INDOORS.

IF YOU HAVE TO GO OUTDOORS– THEY SUGGEST LIMITING YOUR TIME OUTSIDE.

AND AVOID STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES OUTDOORS.

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