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Toronto choked by smoke from Canadian wildfires, air quality plummets
🇨🇭 Switzerland /Disasters & Emergencies

Toronto choked by smoke from Canadian wildfires, air quality plummets

From Le Temps · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Toronto experienced some of the worst air quality globally due to smoke from distant Canadian wildfires.
  • Residents were advised to stay indoors as smoke created hazy, yellow skies.
  • The poor air quality is expected to persist until Friday morning.

Toronto residents were urged to stay indoors on Wednesday as the city grappled with some of the world's worst air quality, choked by smoke from wildfires hundreds of kilometers away in western Canada. At one point, Toronto ranked as the second most polluted metropolis globally, trailing only Kinshasa, according to IQAir data.

Wildfire smoke is the main factor behind the rise in pollution in Toronto, although above-average temperatures are also playing a role.

— Armen AraradianIQAir representative explaining the causes of Toronto's poor air quality.

"Wildfire smoke is the main factor behind the rise in pollution in Toronto, although above-average temperatures are also playing a role," Armen Araradian of IQAir told AFP. Numerous wildfires are burning in northwestern Ontario, and prevailing winds carried their smoke to the city, casting a thick, hazy, and yellowish pall over the sky.

Canadian authorities issued an orange alert, advising the public to minimize outdoor activities. "Everyone's health is at risk... Limit your time outdoors. Reschedule or cancel outdoor sports, activities or events," the meteorological services warned. City pools and a fan zone for the World Cup semi-final were closed. "The pollution is really significant... I wear my mask wherever I go, I have water, and I wear glasses" to mitigate the effects, resident Paul Onwubuke told AFP.

Everyone's health is at risk... Limit your time outdoors. Reschedule or cancel outdoor sports, activities or events.

— Meteorological servicesOfficial warning advising residents to stay indoors due to air quality.

The smoke also degraded air quality across the northeastern United States, affecting states like Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts. This worsening situation coincides with a heatwave that has gripped the western U.S. and expanded into eastern regions and Canada. Over 90 million people in the U.S. faced heat advisories on Wednesday. While Canada's wildfire season has been less severe than the record-breaking years of 2023 and 2025, approximately 1.9 million hectares have already burned this year.

The pollution is really significant... I wear my mask wherever I go, I have water, and I wear glasses.

— Paul OnwubukeA Toronto resident describing his precautions against the air pollution.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Le Temps in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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