Raging Wildfires in Alberta and Beyond: A Growing Concern.

Wildfires in Alberta have burned more than 150 times more area than in the last five years combined at this same point in the year, with over 410,000 hectares charred so far in 2023. The 273 wildfires in Alberta so far in 2023 have far exceeded each of the last five years to date as well. With temperatures expected to rise significantly by this weekend and into next week, a provincial state of emergency has been declared as weather conditions threaten to aid in fire growth and worsen the situation. Smoke from the over 80 active wildfires across the Alberta province has drifted across Canada and has reached the eastern seaboard of the United States, creating smoky skies across New England.