U.S. President Joe Biden had a phone call with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and offered his support for the “devastating and historic” wildfires burning, the White House announced.
“The President has directed his team to deploy all available Federal firefighting assets that can rapidly assist in suppressing fires impacting Canadian and American communities,” the statement read.
“It’s critical that Americans experiencing dangerous air pollution, especially those with health conditions, listen to local authorities to protect themselves and their families,” Biden wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, schools across the US East Coast shut down outdoor activities. Commercial airline traffic was slowed and millions of Americans were called to stay indoors as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south.
In the same vein, the US National Weather Service issued air quality alerts for virtually the entire Atlantic seaboard.
Health officials from Vermont to South Carolina and as far west as Ohio and Kansas warned residents that spending time outdoors could cause respiratory problems due to high levels of fine particulates in the atmosphere.
