Tens of millions of people in North America have been warned about potentially dangerous air quality as intense wildfires burn across Canada.
Smoke blanketed large areas of Ontario and Quebec on Tuesday, while an orange haze hung over much of the north-eastern US.
Some cities including Toronto and New York had among the worst air quality in any city in the world overnight.
Much of the smoke is coming from Quebec, where 160 fires are burning.
Canadian officials say the country is shaping up for its worst wildfire season on record.
Experts have pointed to a warmer and drier spring than normal as the reason behind the trend. These conditions are projected to continue throughout the summer.
Environment Canada issued its strongest air quality warning for Ottawa on Tuesday, deeming it a “very high risk” to people’s health.
In Toronto and its surrounding areas, the air quality was classified as “high risk”.
Meanwhile, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified the air quality in much of the north-east as “unhealthy” especially for people who already have respiratory issues.
In total, some 100m people around North America are thought to be under a form of air quality warning.
In New York, an orange haze blanketed the city’s skyline and shrouded landmarks including the Statue of Liberty.
Public health officials have cautioned people not to exercise outside and to minimize their exposure to the smoke as much as possible, as the air poses immediate and long-term health risks.
Fires across Canada have already burned more than 3.3m hectares of land an area 12 times the 10-year average for this time of year.
Thousands of people have been evacuated across the country.
BBC/Adebukola Aluko
Subscribe to our Telegram and YouTube Channels also join our Whatsapp Update Group
pub-5160901092443552
Related Posts
