Smoke Covers Alberta's Canadian Forests

Fires broke out in the forests of Alberta, Canada, on Monday, and firefighters in Quebec extinguished some of the worst early-season fires, allowing thousands of evacuees to return home. The number of ongoing fires across Canada reached approximately 449, with 219 of those being out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Federal meteorologist Gerald Cheng stated, "If you look at western Canada, you will find it is completely covered in smoke, and this will continue until tomorrow, Tuesday... The smoke risk is very high as winds are already spreading the smoke throughout Alberta today and into tomorrow, Tuesday." Cheng predicted rain in Quebec today, but noted it would not be sufficient in the areas experiencing the most active fires. The fires in Alberta are sending columns of smoke eastward over the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Meanwhile, Quebec is seeing a decrease in the number of active fires to about 110 on Monday from roughly 150 fires last week, which has led to a layer of smoke over the eastern coastline of the United States. Nearly 5,000 firefighters have been deployed in Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Quebec, and Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand stated that more military personnel would be dispatched to Edson.