NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – After the smoke from numerous large forest fires in Canada caused the worst air quality in decades in the metropolis of New York, the smoke continued to spread across the United States on Thursday. Smoke enveloped major cities like Philadelphia and Washington, and the effects were also felt farther west in cities like Detroit and Baltimore.
In New York on Thursday there was still a burnt smell in the air, it could be felt in the respiratory tract and in the eyes and caused headaches in many people – but the clouds of smoke were no longer as dense as on Wednesday, when experts from ” “highly hazardous” air quality. The governor of the state of New York, Kathy Hochul, had spoken of an “emergency crisis”. She had a million mouth and nose masks distributed. Air traffic was severely restricted at times.
Numerous fires have been raging in Canada’s west and now also in the north-east of the country for weeks. US President Joe Biden spoke to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday and offered him additional support, the White House said./cah/DP/jha