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Fires in Canada: In Washington shrouded in smoke, tourists are not discouraged

2023-06-08T18:22:45.603Z

Highlights: Vaguely acrid smoke envelops the federal capital of the United States, the consequence of the fires raging in Canada. The city's public schools have cancelled all outdoor activities and an air quality alert is in effect. But teenagers from the rest of the country on school trips are happily engaging in acrobatics on the lawn for souvenir photos, with the Lincoln Memorial in the background. While waiting for the mist to lift, perhaps this weekend, visitors are trying to enjoy the city.


IN PICTURES - Vaguely acrid smoke envelops the federal capital of the United States, the consequence of the fires raging in Canada.


Usually, you can admire the dome of the US Congress standing out against a clear blue sky from the iconic obelisk of Washington, not far from the White House. Today, as a result of the fires in Canada, vaguely acrid smoke envelops the federal capital of the United States, without really inconveniencing tourists.

At the foot of the Washington Monument, American and foreign visitors stroll, "Trump 2024" cap on their head or white "Washington DC" bobs freshly bought. The city's public schools have cancelled all outdoor activities and an air quality alert is in effect, but teenagers from the rest of the country on school trips are happily engaging in acrobatics on the lawn for souvenir photos, with the Lincoln Memorial in the background.

See alsoNew York suffocates under the effect of Canadian forest fires

The Lincoln Memorial, in Washington on June 8. LEAH MILLIS/REUTERS

"Ethereal" landscape

Coming from Nebraska, Diane, 61, would almost find that the mist adds a little something to her visit, judging the landscape "ethereal". And it is not destabilized by smoke. "It happens all the time at home, we have preventative fires in Oklahoma and Kansas. So it happens," said the American, who prefers not to give her last name. Her husband, David, for the first time in Washington, agrees. "8 out of 10," he notes his visit despite the fog.

Read alsoFrom Alberta to New York, the spectacular images of the fires that set Canada ablaze and suffocate the United States

Next to them on the phone, an American tourist describes what she sees: "It's very foggy here, because of the fires in Canada!" It fucks the chips, "adds his friend looking at the Capitol, whose silhouette is barely distinguishable in the distance.

The Capitol is barely visible on June 8. LEAH MILLIS/REUTERS

Asked about her feelings, the latter, Adriana George, 31, from Tucson, Arizona, relativizes by laughing. "It's just that fog is everywhere and it's a little gloomy," she says. But "fortunately the weather is very nice," she adds in reference to the temperature and the morning breeze. And although she has asthma, she says she hasn't suffered in the past two days.

'Accustomed to pollution'

On the side of foreign tourists, many still say they have a pleasant time. Not confused, Choi Yoonjung, from South Korea, explains with a smile and thanks to the translation of a friend that in her region, "it's the same thing" in terms of pollution, and that her visit is therefore not disturbed. Hemadri Vora, 42, who came from Mumbai, India, spends the day in Washington with his family after a visit to New York. "We don't feel it so much, because we're pretty used to pollution!" she laughs.

The day before, in New York, while visiting the Statue of Liberty and not having followed the information coming from Canada, she admits to having been "a little scared" when she saw the mist, thinking that it was a big storm in the making and not the smoke of northern fires. She just regrets that the shots of her trip are not of the best quality because of the mist. "It's a bit disappointing," she admits. While many Washingtonians followed the advice of authorities and wore masks on their faces outdoors on Thursday, few tourists did the same in the morning.

New York under the mist

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On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told AFP that more than 100 million Americans were affected by air quality alerts because of smoke caused by fires in Canada. While waiting for the mist to lift, perhaps this weekend, visitors are trying to enjoy the city. As sirens sound and police cars fly down Constitution Avenue, near the White House, tourists speculate. "It must be the British prime minister" Rishi Sunak, visiting Washington that day, says a man excitedly.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2023-06-08

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