Canadian Fires Already Causing Problems in US

UPDATE May 13, 2024 3:10 PM CDT

Air-quality alerts from wildfires in Canada were in effect over four US states Monday afternoon, reports NBC News. Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota were affected, with conditions ranging from "moderate" to "unhealthy" under the air quality index established by the Environmental Protection Agency.

May 13, 2024 11:01 AM CDT

Remember when last year's Canadian wildfires made things smoky in the US? Residents of Minnesota and Wisconsin have been getting a reminder—they were under air quality alerts on Monday morning thanks to fires from the north, reports the New York Times. The alerts (for all of Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin) were expected to be lifted later Monday. However, multiple fires were still burning in western Canada:

• In British Columbia, authorities feared an intense wildfire could reach the town of Fort Nelson on Monday, reports the AP. More than 3,000 people already have evacuated ahead of what's known as the Parker Lake wildfire. It was only about a mile away early Monday.

• Fires also burned near Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie in Alberta, and hundreds evacuated Cranberry Portage, about 400 miles northwest of Winnipeg, in Manitoba. Air-quality alerts were in effect in Canada as well, from British Columbia to Manitoba.

(This might be the start of an "explosive wildfire season" in Canada.)