More than a 100 active, large wildfires were burning a total 1.5 million acres in Canada and parts of northern and western United States on Monday, including the states of California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, reported KCRG News in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Heavy smoke has been reported in 12 states, including those with wildfires as well as North and South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wyoming, reported Wildfire Today. Smoke is visible covering most of the U.S. on satellite photos, and light smoke has reached as far south as Texas and as far east as New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maps.
Ash has been reported falling thickly in areas like Seattle, covering cars and lawns like a thin layer of snow. The ash and smoke have made the temperature in those areas higher than normal because it insulates the atmosphere and doesn’t let warm air escape, The Seattle Times reported.
Fires have reached Montana’s Glacier National Park and California’s Yosemite National Park, singeing some of its 2,700-year-old giant sequoia trees, on Monday, The Associated Press reported.
No sequoias were killed by the fire, because they have very thick bark that can withstand a low level burn. Some trails in the park, including near the southern entrance, were closed because of several fires in the area.
More than 26,000 personnel were fighting the wildfires, and National Guard and other military personnel were being activated to help in the effort, Montana FireWatch reported. L.J. Brown of Bureau of Land Management Fire Operations said that resources were still in short supply with some student firefighters going back to college.
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