A wildfire raging west of Chibougamau, in northern Quebec, is shown in a June 4, 2023, handout photo. NASA reports smoke from wildfires in northern Quebec has reached Europe. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-SOPFEU, Audrey Marcoux, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
MONTREAL – NASA is reporting that smoke from wildfires in northern Quebec has reached Europe.
The American space agency says satellite imagery from Monday showed smoke extending across the North Atlantic Ocean to the Iberian Peninsula, France and other parts of western Europe.
NASA says that air quality in Europe has not deteriorated to the extent seen in Canada because of the height of the smoke in the atmosphere.
Smoky air led Environment Canada to issue smog warnings in much of southern Quebec over the weekend, and parts of the province’s westernmost region are still subject to an air quality alert.
Quebec’s forest fire prevention agency says there are more than 100 wildfires across the province, including 77 in the southern half, where more than two dozen fires are considered out of control.
Officials say rain that started falling Monday in parts of the province with the most threatening fires has not been sufficient to extinguish the flames.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2023.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
