Swaths of smoke from wildfires torching buildings and forcing thousands of people from their homes in Western Canada have travelled as far as Newfoundland and Labrador in the east and Texas in the south.
Those in the north and heavily populated southern areas of Manitoba and Saskatchewan are feeling it the worst because that's where a majority of Canada's wildfires are burning, said Natalie Hasell of Environment Canada in an interview Wednesday.
“Right in the vicinity of the fires, the air quality is going to be particularly bad,” Hasell said.
"It's really important for people to...pay attention to how you're feeling and how other people around you are feeling.”
Hasell said wildfires in Ontario and Quebec may also be the cause of smoky air in Michigan and the eastern seaboard, but not to the same extent as the blazes roaring through parts of the Prairies.
Environment Canada has issued bulletins warning of poor air quality in parts of northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where wildfires have forced more than 30,000 people from their homes.
The agency says conditions will fluctuate but those 65 and older along with youngsters and pregnant people are particularly susceptible to the pollution.
Symptoms could range from eye irritation to chest pains and severe coughing.
South of the border, air quality alerts were issued in Michigan and Indiana on Wednesday.
"Active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma should limit prolonged outdoor exposure,” said the Indiana Department of Environmental Management in a statement.
Smoke conditions were less severe in Alberta, but there was a slight midday haze over Edmonton Wednesday as fans prepared to head to the downtown Rogers Arena that night for the first game of the Stanley Cup Final.
In Saskatchewan, wildfires continued to menace the region around La Ronge, north of Prince Albert.
The 7,000 people living in La Ronge, Air Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band were ordered out just days earlier. Many fled to Prince Albert, 240 kilometres to the south, jamming hotels, some sleeping four to a room.
La Ronge Mayor Joe Hordyski said Wednesday the Rona hardware and Roberston Trading stores have burned down.
He said the trading post was iconic in the town of more than 2,500 people, about 380 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.
The store closed in 2023 but would periodically open over the last two years.
Inside remained Indigenous art, historical artifacts, clothing and carvings.
"It’s something people looked forward to visiting," Hordyski said in an interview.
"This is just the nature of the season. Everybody is battling this and you’re going to get losses and what you can protect is a bonus."
The mayor said the wind died down Wednesday, making it easier to keep the flames at bay.
Up to 15, 000 Saskatchewan residents have been displaced by wildfires. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency estimates 400 structures have been lost.
In Manitoba, fires have forced more than 17,000 residents out of towns, villages and First Nations, mainly in the remote north.
Residents of Mathias Colomb First Nation were able to leave Tuesday evening. But Manitoba wildfire officials said efforts to get everyone out of Pimicikamak First Nation and Cross Lake First Nation were ongoing.
Elsewhere in the province, a crew of 200 to 250 have been fighting the fire that has forced the 5,000 residents of the City of Flin Flon to leave.
The city said in a social media post Wednesday morning that there have been no structure fires, but a return by residents could take some time.
“Evacuees should prepare for the possibility that it will be some time until the situation has stabilized to the point that returning is safe," the post said.
In Alberta, officials said the province is seeing "slightly improved conditions" after a week of extreme wildfire behaviour that involved evacuations.
Cooler temperatures and high humidity have been helping the more than 1,000 firefighters battling wildfires across the province.
-- with files from Jeremy Simes in Regina and Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Facebook/Buckland Fire and Rescue
