How Canadian wildfires caused a summer of smoke for Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — Just last year, Canadian wildfires created a summer of smoke we'll never forget.
"My eyes are burning, which is not normal," one person said.
"My lungs have been hurting I've got a headache all day today," added another.
With the smoke came poor air quality causing health problems day after day.
"Because of the frequency and severity of the wildfires, this has easily been our busiest season talking to folks about how wildfire smoke affects our health. It's affected the whole continent really," said Jeff Eyamie, air quality and health specialist with Health Canada.
2023 was Canada's worst wildfire season on record with more than seven times the average acreage burned That's about the size of North Dakota. Once that smoke was in the air, there was nothing to do but watch the wind blow it south. The first wave of smoke arriving in Minnesota and Wisconsin in mid-May, but the worst would come in June.
"It smells like the entire neighborhood is barbecuing all at once without the good time," said Gracie Clark, who was visiting from Hawaii.
The thick smoke blanketed the skies, reducing visibility and making it tough to be outside. The average Air Quality Index for June 14 in the Twin Cities was 175, the highest since records began in 1980.
We sent Jonah Kaplan to Canada to investigate what was going on. He learned agencies from around the world were also there, working to put out the flames, made more likely by climate change.
"Nothing is normal about what we're living through right now. Our forests are at risk. Our lakes are at risk. Our health and well being is at risk. We've seen very clearly and I think it's a wake-up call with all the wildfire smoke coming from Canada that climate change needs to passport," said Heidi Roop, a climate scientist with the University of Minnesota.
In total, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued a total of 52 air quality alert days in 2023 — another record that hopefully won't be broken again.
As of April 24, nearly 7,000 acres have already burned in Canada. That's up from the 350 acres this time last year.
