International News: Canadian wildfire smoke triggers air quality alerts across 17 U.S. States

By Zoila Palma:  Smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning across Canada has prompted air quality alerts in at least 17 U.S. states, with more than 125 million Americans affected across the Midwest and Northeast, Yahoo reports.

 The smoke spread east and south today, reaching states from Minnesota to Massachusetts and New York, as officials warned that unhealthy air conditions are expected to continue through at least Friday.

Air quality was particularly severe in Minnesota and Michigan, where some areas of northern Minnesota recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) above 1,000 on Thursday. An AQI above 100 is considered unhealthy, while readings above 300 are classified as hazardous, making the conditions especially dangerous for residents in the affected regions.

The deteriorating air quality has also raised concerns about Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, which is scheduled to be played in New Jersey. While forecasters expect rain on Saturday to help clear much of the smoke before the match, some haze could still linger. As of now, officials have not announced any plans to postpone or relocate the championship game.

According to Canada’s wildfire monitoring agency, more than 850 wildfires were active on Wednesday, including 188 classified as “out of control.”

 The smoke has compounded difficulties for millions of Americans already dealing with an intense heat wave, with the National Weather Service issuing major or extreme heat risk alerts affecting approximately 68 million people.

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