Canadian wildfires smoke reaches Ireland after crossing Atlantic

Sunday World

03-06-2025

Forecasts show further smoke is set to reach Europe later this week. Other plumes of smoke have also gone as far as the Arctic.
Smoke rises from wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada. Photo: Government of Manitoba/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
Smoke from wildfires in Canada has crossed the Atlantic to reach Ireland, according to European Union researchers.
Analysis from the EU's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring System (CAMS) has shown smoke originating from wildfires in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario has made its way across the Atlantic and reached Europe in recent days.
Forecasts show further smoke is set to reach Europe later this week.
Smoke initially made its way across the Mediterranean on May 18 and 19, and there were reports of smoke in Greece and the region around the eastern Mediterranean.
Smoke rises from wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada. Photo: Government of Manitoba/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
News in 90 Seconds - 3rd June 2025
A second, larger plume of smoke crossed the Atlantic in the last week of May and arrived in parts of northwestern Europe, including Ireland, on Sunday, June 1.
Additional plumes of smoke are expected to reach Europe in the coming days.
'Wildfires are a frequent occurrence in boreal forests from spring and through the summer months,' CAMS senior scientist, Mark Parrington, said.
'Up to the beginning of June, our data is showing that central regions of Canada have experienced a very intense few weeks in terms of wildfire emissions.
'This data, and the fact that we are able to observe the smoke in Europe, is a reflection of the scale of the fires and impacts they have been having in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
'In CAMS we monitor events such as these in order to understand how they affect the atmosphere and air quality regionally and globally.'
CAMS forecasts show the transport of smoke is not expected to have 'a significant impact on surface air quality' as the smoke is moving at a high altitude. Typically, the effects include hazy skies and red or orange sunsets.
Air quality in Canada has been affected by smoke emitting from wildfires across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario and there was a 'significant increase' in both the number and intensity of the wildfires in Canada last month.
More than 25,000 people in the impacted areas of Canada have evacuated their homes due to the wildfires, while US states along the border with Canada have also been affected.
A state of emergency has been declared in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba for the next month.
There are also wildfires burning in parts of far eastern Russia since the beginning of April, most notably in the Republic of Buryatia and Zabaykalsky Krai near the borders with China and Mongolia.
CAMS said carbon emissions in Russia's Far Eastern Federal District are at the highest level for this period of time since 2018.
The wildfires in Russia have also impacted some areas further afield, with forecasts showing a transport of smoke from Russia towards northeastern China and northern Japan, impacting air quality in those regions. Other plumes of smoke have also gone as far as the Arctic.