TORONTO/NEW YORK: Toronto’s air quality ranked the worst among major cities globally on Wednesday as wildfire smoke from northwestern Ontario blackened skies and spread into the northeastern United States, prompting health warnings and calls for residents to limit outdoor activities. Environment Canada reported an Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) reading of 10+, classified as “very high risk,” for Toronto, while forecasts suggested hazardous conditions could persist through Thursday night.
New York City began feeling the effects days before neighboring New Jersey is scheduled to host the World Cup final on Sunday. Local authorities issued an alert as air quality reached an unhealthy level and urged residents to reduce “strenuous outdoor activity” and take extra breaks if they are outside on Wednesday and Thursday. The National Weather Service said smoke could linger into the end of the week. IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, ranked Toronto as having the worst air quality across the globe, surpassing Kinshasa and Delhi. New York ranked No. 5. Wildfire smoke from Northern Canada has been a common summer occurrence across wide swaths of the United States in recent years. A video shared on social media showing a Canadian National train surrounded by fire near Armstrong, Ontario, went viral. Canadian National employees in the area and residents of Armstrong were evacuated on Monday night, CN said in a statement. The company suspended rail operations near Armstrong, more than 500 kilometers north of Toronto, as a precaution due to wildfires. The City of Toronto canceled the FIFA Fan Festival and the England-Argentina World Cup watch party at Nathan Phillips Square because of poor air quality. In the New York City area, more than 80,000 people are expected to attend the World Cup final at an open-air stadium in New Jersey on Sunday. Another 50,000 plan to watch the game from Central Park in Manhattan, where skies appeared hazy.
