People wear masks because the White Home is seen through hazy skies attributable to Canadian wildfires on June 08, 2023 in Washington, DC
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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday assured Americans the federal government was aiding Canada in fighting the wildfires which have cloaked the East Coast and Midwest in unhealthy levels of smoke and haze.
“Since May, greater than 600 U.S. firefighters, support personnel, and firefighting assets have been deployed, working alongside Canadian firefighters to tackle what’s more likely to be the worst fire season in Canadian history, and one which has huge impacts here in the US,” Biden said in a press release.
The president spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday and offered additional assistance to beat back the fires, particularly in Quebec, where 150 fires are burning. The president said he directed the National Interagency Fire Center to assist as well.
In a press release, Trudeau thanked Biden for the help, adding that the countries must “work together to deal with the devastating impacts of climate change.”
There have been 437 lively wildfires across Canada early Thursday, in line with the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. Nearly 250 were labeled as uncontrolled.Â
As of Wednesday, roughly 9.4 million acres have burned and greater than 20,000 people have been evacuated, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said during a briefing with Trudeau. Canadian officials anticipate the higher-than-normal wildfire activity to persist attributable to drought conditions and high temperatures.
Americans on the East Coast are being advised to mask up amid air quality alerts which might be expected to remain in effect through Friday. A whole lot of flights have been delayed and a number of other Major League Baseball games were postponed attributable to the haze.
US President Joe Biden shows an air quality chart before a joint-press conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak within the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 8, 2023. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images
Biden addressed the wildfires from the White House, speaking before a press conference.
“It is very vital that affected communities take heed to the guidance of their state and native officials from this point forward,” Biden said. He urged Americans to go to airnow.gov for information on air quality of their area.
