US sends more than 600 firefighters to Canada to combat wildfires

WASHINGTON

The US has sent more than 600 firefighters to help Canada combat increasingly dire wildfires that have burned nearly 4 million hectares (10 million acres), the White House said Wednesday.

The fires are "yet another alarming example of the ways in which the climate crisis is disturbing our lives and our communities," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

In addition to firefighters and personnel, the US has sent water bombers to help put out the blazes.

The 414 infernos in Canada have resulted in plumes of smoke soaring throughout the US northeast, making New York the city with the worst air pollution worldwide and sending a haze over the nation's capital. More than half of the fires, 239, are burning out of control, according to Canadian authorities.

Tens of millions of people in the US are under air quality advisories.

"We encourage everyone in the impacted areas to listen to listen to their state and local officials. Check in on your neighbors check in on your your friends and your family. Take precautions especially if you if you have health conditions," said Jean-Pierre.

An estimated 20,183 residents have been evacuated from homes and communities in Canada.

While some have been able to return in the provinces of Alberta, Nova Scotia and Quebec, many are still displaced and as fires continue to disrupt communities, Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair said Wednesday.

Canada has been battling wildfires since the beginning of May.