Reuters, TORONTO and NEW YORK
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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 US, prompting health warnings and calls for residents to limit outdoor activities. Wildfires were raging through sparsely populated areas hundreds of kilometers from Toronto and sending smoke over a wide area, although they were not directly threatening cities. Environment Canada reported an Air Quality Health Index reading of 10+, classified as “very high risk,” for Toronto, while forecasts suggested hazardous conditions would persist through last night.
A Canada goose stands on the shoreline of the Toronto Islands on Lake Ontario as the downtown skyline is covered by wildfire smoke during a heat wave in Toronto on Wednesday.
New York began feeling the effects days before neighboring New Jersey is scheduled to host the FIFA 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. The US National Weather Service said smoke could linger into the end of the week.
