Smoke from Quebec fires covering parts of southwestern Europe, NASA says

The American space agency says satellite imagery from Monday showed smoke extending across the North Atlantic to the Iberian Peninsula, France and other parts of western Europe.

Satellite imagery shows smoke in Iberian Peninsula, France

The Canadian Press · Posted: Jun 27, 2023 12:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 27, 2023

quebec forest fires with a lot of smoke — A wildfire raging west of Chibougamau, in northern Quebec, is shown in a June 4, 2023, handout photo. NASA reports smoke from wildfires in the province has reached Europe. (Audrey Marcoux/The Canadian Press)

The.U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) says satellite imagery from Monday showed smoke extending across the North Atlantic Ocean to the Iberian Peninsula and other parts of western Europe.

NASA says that air quality in Europe has not deteriorated to the extent seen in Canada because of the height of the smoke in the atmosphere.

Smoky air led Environment Canada to issue smog warnings for much of southern Quebec over the weekend, and parts of the province's westernmost region are still subject to an air quality alert.

Quebec's forest fire prevention agency, known by its French acronym SOPFEU, says there are more than 100 wildfires across the province, including 77 in the southern half, where more than two dozen fires are considered out of control.

Officials say rain that started falling Monday in parts of the province is helping its efforts in fighting the fires, notably in the Abitibi region, but rain alone won't be sufficient to extinguish them.

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