The forest fires ravaging Canada are so large that they should make Europe cough. The phenomenon is indeed enormous: since the first fires broke out in early May, Canada has continued to burn. The flames continue to spread, with serious consequences.

Montreal is so suffocated that its air quality is the worst of any major city in the world. Residents have had to hide in their homes to protect their health. The huge cloud of smoke has even crossed the Atlantic and is expected to reach Europe this Monday, said Mark Parrington, scientific director at the Copernicus Service for Atmospheric Monitoring, on Twitter.

The smoke “is partially absorbed by a cold front that is approaching Brittany in a narrow band,” says the French observatory for storms and tornadoes Keraunos on the social network. These particle clouds are likely to “affect Western Europe in the coming hours,” explains scientist Nahel Belgherze.

A cloud visible from space

This ash cloud is “perfectly visible from space,” wonders agricultural meteorologist Serge Zaka on Twitter. “I’m used to completely crazy things, but the density surprises me,” adds the specialist. Currently, scientists do not know the density of this cloud when it will contaminate the European continent, nor its particle concentration.

But this cloud, which could have serious consequences for human health and biodiversity, should not stop. In fact, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC), there are still 470 fires active in Canada, including 244 out of control.

In total, more than 7.4 million hectares of Canadian forests have been destroyed since the beginning of the year. The country has already had to reckon with several hundred fires. The flames have also forced tens of thousands of people from their homes and more than 100 million Americans have been affected by an air quality warning.