Smoke From Canada's Wildfires Choke Millions and Reach as Far as Europe

Alerts on Hazardous Air Quality Issued, With Canadian Officials Warning of Worse to Come

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OTTAWA - Canada's wildfires, which have already forced the evacuation of more than 26,000 people, continued their stubborn spread on June 3, with heavy smoke choking millions of Canadians and Americans and reaching as far away as Europe.

Alerts were issued for parts of Canada and the neighboring US, warning of hazardous air quality. A water tanker airbase was consumed by flames in Saskatchewan province; oil production has been disrupted in Alberta, and officials warned of worse to come, with more communities threatened each day.

"We have some challenging days ahead of us," Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told a news conference, adding that the number of evacuees could rise quickly.

Every summer, Canada grapples with forest fires, but an early start to the wildfire season in 2023 and the scale of the blazes—over 2 million hectares burned—is worrying.

The provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba have been the hardest hit. Both declared wildfire emergencies in recent days.