A spate of early season wildfires in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia are spreading smoke across the Northeast. News outlets from Massachusetts to southeastern Pennsylvania are reporting that residents can smell smoke and see it in the sky, and experts are warning that the diminished air quality is posing health risks for residents.
The fires
There are a total of 14 fires in Nova Scotia, the largest of which, covering 43,095 acres, is the province’s “largest wildfire in recorded history,” according to the provincial government. The fires have destroyed 200 homes and caused evacuation orders for 16,000 residents, and they are now threatening to spread into Halifax, the provincial capital.
Residents in neighboring New Brunswick have also had to evacuate 400 homes. The province saw an “unprecedented” 15 fires break out on Saturday, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said earlier this week.
“It’s really been heartbreaking, there’s really a lot of helplessness,” Tim Houston, the premier of Nova Scotia, said at a news conference on Wednesday.
The effects in the U.S.
Due to winds pushing the smoke to the south and west, air quality alerts from the National Weather Service have gone up in southern Michigan and Wisconsin, northern Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
Massachusetts, especially in the Boston area, experienced cloudy skies from the wildfires on Wednesday. That day, and again on Thursday, the National Weather Service issued a Code Orange air quality alert for Philadelphia and its suburbs. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Tuesday that air quality would be unhealthy for sensitive groups, and a similar report was issued that day for the state of Massachusetts.
“The health effects of particle pollution exposure can range from relatively minor (e.g., eye and respiratory tract irritation) to more serious health effects (e.g., exacerbation of asthma and heart failure, and premature death),” according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The role of climate change
It is unusual to see such significant wildfire activity before the beginning of summer in Nova Scotia’s generally cold and wet climate, but increasing temperatures due to emissions of greenhouse gases are making springtime warmer and intensifying dry spells.
Nova Scotia had below average snow this past winter, and in April it had less than half of its average rainfall for that month — making it the driest April on record.
“What is unique about this situation is the time of year — the fact it’s occurring in May and that it spread so rapidly,” said Anthony Farnell, chief meteorologist of the Canadian outlet Global News.
“Climate change contributes to volatility,” Dave Meldrum, Halifax’s deputy fire chief, said at a news conference on Monday.
The risk of early season wildfires is expected to increase in the future as climate change continues.
“Canada as a whole has warmed, including eastern Canada, and we’re projecting more warming in the future. So that warming, yes, would be expected to increase fires in eastern Canada as well,” Nathan Gillett, a research scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, a department of the Canadian federal government, told Global News.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has urged governments to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and by 60% by 2035 to limit the extent of global warming.
The outlook
Scott Tingley, Nova Scotia’s forest protection manager, said most of the fires were “very likely human-caused.”
“Much of it probably is preventable,” he said.
Dry and windy weather in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick this week has fed the fires. The possibility that rain will arrive on Friday night gives locals some hope for help, but experts cautioned that lightning from thunderstorms can actually make matters worse by starting more fires when striking dried-out trees.
Nova Scotia has banned activity in wooded areas, with particular concern for any kind of burning.
Rachel Carter is a health and wellness expert dedicated to helping readers lead healthier lives. With a background in nutrition, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being.
