Canada is facing unprecedented impacts from forest fires this year. On Monday, Canadian health officials provided an update on the impacts from the more than 420 wildfires now burning in Canada.

According to Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public health officer “inhaling fine particles from wildfire smoke can cause lung inflammation and other problems.” She says further studies are needed to see the cardiac impacts.

While rain helped to ease the fire situation in parts of Alberta and Quebec over the weekend, the fire risk remains high in most of the country.

More than 58-thousand square kilometres have burned so far this year — almost twice the size of Vancouver Island