Ontario wildfires continue to spread; Canada-US dispute escalates amid... smoke

Wildfires in the Canadian province of Ontario continue to spread, with the affected area reaching 735,000 hectares, compared to 650,000 hectares recorded at the end of last week. Although air quality has improved in the south of the province, smoke continues to severely affect several states in the Midwest region of the United States, according to Reuters.

• Nearly 200 active fires and evacuations in the northwest of the province

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said at a press conference in Toronto that authorities are currently dealing with 190 active fires, most of which are located in isolated and difficult-to-reach regions. According to him, about 1,800 people have been evacuated from sparsely populated communities in the northwest of the province. "We will spare no expense to put out these fires and keep people safe,” said Doug Ford.

• Smoke continues to affect air quality in the U.S.

While air quality has improved in southern Ontario and the northeastern United States, the situation remains concerning in several states in the Midwest.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) AirNow platform, the air quality index on Monday was "unhealthy” or "unhealthy for sensitive groups” in parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. Last week, smoke from fires in northern and western Ontario, as well as northern Minnesota, caused the city of Toronto to record the worst air quality in the world, with the smoke cloud later spreading to New York and Washington.

• Exchange of words between Donald Trump and Canadian authorities

The fires have also generated diplomatic tensions between Ottawa and Washington. United States President Donald Trump said he told Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, during their meeting at the FIFA World Cup final, that Canadian authorities need to manage the fires in Ontario more effectively. The statement came two days after the leader from the White House threatened to introduce additional tariffs on Canadian products, citing the smoke affecting the American territory. Prime Minister Mark Carney did not respond directly to the criticism, but said that all countries, including the United States, must step up their efforts to combat climate change. In turn, Doug Ford described the American president's attitude as "unacceptable". "Instead of criticizing and threatening Canada, maybe one day you will need our help,” said the premier of Ontario, recalling that Canadian authorities have in recent years sent teams from the energy sector to respond to Hurricane Helene in the US and specialized aircraft to fight fires in California.

• Climate change increases the risk of fires

Large-scale forest fires have become increasingly frequent in Canada, a country that has some of the largest forested areas in the world. According to climate experts, rising global temperatures favor the drying of vegetation and prolong the fire season, which leads to the emergence of more numerous and more difficult to control outbreaks.