John Villants, a journalist, found himself trapped in his home as the flames increased, the wind became stronger, and the trees fought for survival. Surrounded by death and destruction, Villants commented, “This is a new place- a planet we have made” (Moor1). Villants were caught in a forest fire that ravaged Canada. It was an apocalyptic devastation not just in Quebec but throughout Canada. And unlike other fires caused by lightning, this fire was arson. It was May 31, 2023, and a fire had just broken out in Quebec, a city in Canada. Early that morning, 14 fires were lit by a 38-year-old man named Brian Pare. Five days later “Prosecutor Marie-Philippe Charron said on Monday two of the 14 fires lit by Pare forced the evacuation of 500 homes,
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The fires burnt about 18.4 million hectares of land, about 18 times the average hectares burnt every year. Around 183 people died, including 86 firefighters, 200,000 people evacuated from their homes, and surges of smoke traveled 2,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean. So, how was the smoke from the fire measured? Smoke was measured on an air quality index. Air quality is measured on an AQI yardstick which runs from 0 to 400. The yardstick tells you how clean or polluted the air is. The smoke from the fires surpassed 342 on the AQI yardstick, which is considered hazardous and was for many people, causing some deaths and many health issues such as lung cancer, burning eyes, runny nose, and even diseases such as bronchitis. In the states where the smoke had reached, it wasn't as bad, the AQI yardstick read 152, though it wasn't considered hazardous. Many people wore masks and many people stayed inside due to health issues. Skys in Canada ended up turning purple, and in some states, the sky turned orange. In conclusion, the topic of Canadian wildfires is very interesting compared to regular forest fires. Spreading throughout Canada and even reaching several states in the
The fires burnt about 18.4 million hectares of land, about 18 times the average hectares burnt every year. Around 183 people died, including 86 firefighters, 200,000 people evacuated from their homes, and surges of smoke traveled 2,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean. So, how was the smoke from the fire measured? Smoke was measured on an air quality index. Air quality is measured on an AQI yardstick which runs from 0 to 400. The yardstick tells you how clean or polluted the air is. The smoke from the fires surpassed 342 on the AQI yardstick, which is considered hazardous and was for many people, causing some deaths and many health issues such as lung cancer, burning eyes, runny nose, and even diseases such as bronchitis. In the states where the smoke had reached, it wasn't as bad, the AQI yardstick read 152, though it wasn't considered hazardous. Many people wore masks and many people stayed inside due to health issues. Skys in Canada ended up turning purple, and in some states, the sky turned orange. In conclusion, the topic of Canadian wildfires is very interesting compared to regular forest fires. Spreading throughout Canada and even reaching several states in the