Meteorologists advised residents in impacted regions to stay indoors to protect themselves from the combined effects of smoke and high temperatures.
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“Those two things coinciding with each other is not good from a health perspective,” said Tyler Hasenstein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
Medical professionals warned that long-term exposure to fine particle pollution is a primary cause of premature death and can cause immediate symptoms like coughing, dizziness, and fatigue.
“If we keep being exposed to this level of air pollution over time, that increases our risks down the road for developing chronic health conditions,” said Dr. Alexander Azan, an assistant professor of population health and medicine at NYU Langone Health.
Azan noted that a study published earlier this year linked chronic wildfire air pollution to tens of thousands of annual deaths in the United States.
“Whether you're somebody who's working outdoors [or] you have an errand that you just can't not do today or tomorrow, the best way to keep yourself safe is buying an N95 or KN95-grade mask,” Azan said.
Climate experts attributed the severity of the blazes to extreme drought conditions and rising temperatures fueled by the burning of fossil fuels.
The Canadian National Railway temporarily suspended operations near Armstrong, Ontario, after a freight train was trapped by a wall of burning trees earlier in the week.
“This could potentially overtake us here, this has gotten a little scary,” said a crew member in a video captured during the incident.
The railway company confirmed that all crew members survived safely before the lines were closed.
On Friday, President Donald Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on Canada, criticizing the neighboring nation for its handling of the out-of-control forest fires.
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Canadian Minister of Emergency Management Eleanor Olszewski stated that Canada is working with urgency alongside provincial and territorial partners, adding that the country has dedicated billions of dollars to forest fire prevention in recent years.
