Images of New York shrouded in thick, eerie orange smoke are circulating the internet. In question: Particularly violent and widespread forest fires thousands of kilometers away, in northern Quebec. The smoke from these around 400 fires is pushed directly south due to the weather. >> More than 360 times the size of Paris, 794 times the size of Lyon… What would Canadian fires look like if they raged in France?

The cloud of smoke now stretches over thousands of kilometers and, depending on the wind force, covers more than half of the North American continent. as shown in the video above, made with the Canadian authorities official website fire smoke.

The fire season ‘probably the worst in history’

This episode of rare air pollution affects more than a hundred million Americans and represents “a stark reminder of the consequences of climate change“, said Joe Biden. Delayed flights due to poor visibility, canceled outdoor events, remote school… The incident has concrete consequences for the lives of residents. New York became the most polluted city in the world on Wednesday, June 7. In the capital, Washington, the situation was even worse on Thursday than the previous day: The air pollution warning rose to “purple” at times before being downgraded to “red” in the late afternoon, According to the United States According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, were in Air quality warnings have affected more than 111 million people in much of the US Northeast.

The fire season in Canada, which is just beginning, will be “probably the worst in history“of the country with”immense consequences here in the United States“, explained the American President. With almost 800,000 hectares affected by the fires, according to the authorities, Quebec is already experiencing a historic season. Since January, the number of fire outbreaks has doubled the then average for 10 years.