Canada wildfires: Facemasks handed out in New York for smoke

Video caption, Wildfire smoke: What it's like living under an orange haze

Hundreds of wildfires in Canada are affecting the air quality and health of millions of people, some who don't even live in Canada.

Smoke from the fires has been travelling huge distances, even reaching New York City, in the United States hundreds of miles to the south, which is now covered in hazy smoke.

Facemasks have been handed out to people in New York to wear when outside their homes, and lots of people in Canada have been advised to wear a mask if they go outside as well.

The quality of the air is so poor in some places that people have been told to avoid the smoke by shutting windows and doors and not going outside.

Image source, Eduardo Munoz Alvarez

Image caption, New York has been covered in a thick haze of smoke

Image source, TIMOTHY A. CLARY

Image caption, People in New York have been wearing facemasks to protect themselves from smoke coming from hundreds of miles away in Canada

Four zoos in New York closed and lots of animals were moved inside to keep them safe.

The zoos were The Bronx, Central Park, Queens, and Prospect Park. The New York Aquarium also closed to keep people from going outdoors.

American weather forecasters said that the air quality was the worst it has been since the 1980s on Wednesday afternoon.

What's going on in Canada?

Image source, Reuters

Image caption, Rain in Nova Scotia has allowed firefighters to contain some wildfires

Canada has had more than 2,000 fires already in 2023, and scientists predict it could be the worst year for wildfires in the country on record.

The Canadian government says around 9.4m acres of land has already burned - which is larger than the area covered by the country of Belgium.

Climate change is one of the reasons for the hotter weather and lack of rainfall in Canada. It has created dry land conditions, which fuels wildfires. Western Canada often sees wildfires, but these fires have been quickly spreading into the East of the country.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, More than 100,000 people across Canada have been asked to leave their homes due to wildfires this year

A lot of the fires in Canada are "out of control" and more than 100,000 people have had to leave their homes for safety.

What is wildfire smoke and how does it harm people?

Image source, Anadolu Agency

Image caption, This picture shows how thick the smoke is in Canada - you can barely see the city of Ottowa in the image

Smoke from wildfires can spread far and fast. The fires have covered Canadian cities like Ontario and Quebec in a thick smoke. The smoke has also reached the USA, and people in New York have been told to wear a mask due to how the smoke impacts air quality.

The smoke affects the air pollution level. When this is high it can affect people's breathing and even hurt their nose and eyes. Breathing in smoke can have long term effects on people's health too, especially for those who live in areas with lots of forest fires.

Today, one million masks were handed out around New York, and lots of people could be seen wearing them whilst going out and about.