High-risk air quality warnings have been issued for millions of people across North America due to ongoing wildfires in Canada.
Wildfire smoke has blanketed major cities in Ontario and Quebec, including Toronto and its surrounding areas.
The smoke has reached as far as New York City and Connecticut, where air quality has been classified as “unhealthy”.
Much of the smoke is coming from Quebec, where 160 fires are burning.
Environment Canada issued its strongest warning on Tuesday for Ottawa, deeming the air quality in the Canadian capital a “very high risk” to people’s health.
In Toronto and its surrounding areas, the air quality has been classified as “high risk”.
Meanwhile, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has classified the air quality in much of the north-eastern US as “unhealthy”, especially for people who already had respiratory issues.
Air quality advisories include much of New York City and Connecticut. They also stretch as far north as Boston and as far south as Pittsburgh and Washington DC.