Live updates: Wildfire smoke affecting air quality in the GTA; Jays say the roof will remain closed for tonight’s game.

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The latest news and updates in Toronto and Ontario over the worsening air quality conditions due to ongoing wildfire smoke from northeastern Ontario and Quebec. Follow here for live updates on Wednesday.

2:23 p.m. Quebec's wildfire season is the worst on record, officials said Wednesday, as the number of evacuees was expected to rise to more than 15,000 by the end of the day.

About 11,400 people have already been forced from their homes because of persistent and unpredictable wildfires, Premier François Legault told reporters in Quebec City. The northern Cree town of Mistissini, located 550 kilometres north of Montreal, would likely be evacuated later on Wednesday, adding another 4,000 people to the evacuee list, the premier said.

The most troublesome areas, he said, were in northern Quebec and in the western Abitibi region, where significant rainfall wasn't expected until Monday. Residents shouldn't expect to be able to return home before the middle of next week, Legault said.

"I want us all to be realistic so that we don't see things through rose-coloured glasses," the premier said. "For the moment, we do not expect rain for the next few days."

2:20 p.m. The White House says it is in touch with the federal government in Ottawa over the ongoing wildfire emergency in Ontario and Quebec.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says the U.S. has already provided Canada with more than 600 firefighters and support teams, as well as water bombers, to help fight the fires.

Officials in the U.S. capital issued a "code red" air quality alert earlier today as heavy smoke from the wildfires in Quebec and Ontario continues to drift south.

More than a dozen states in the northeastern U.S. were under similar alerts, with schools in New York City and Washington, D.C., cancelling outdoor activities.

D.C.'s Department of Energy and Environment describes the air quality as "very unhealthy" and is urging people to remain indoors if possible.

1:32 p.m. The Blue Jays say the roof will remain closed for tonight's game.

"Should Environment Canada that air quality has vastly improved ahead of game-time, we will re-evaluate and update fans," a statement from the team read.

1:28 p.m. (updated) New York is experiencing some of the worst air quality in the world as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to blanket the city.

At the time of publication, New York was sitting at third place on the IQAir's Air quality and pollution city ranking with a US Air Quality Index of 158, or "unhealthy" according to IQAir.

Toronto, the highest Canadian city on the list, currently has the dubious honour of ranking second place as worst in the world at the time of publication, with a US AQI of 175 or "unhealthy."

Weather conditions have caused LGA Airport flight disruptions, the airport tweeted. "Check with your airline to determine the status of your flight."

Read the full story from the Star's Thea Gribilas

12:45 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is updating the wildfires situation.

12:15 p.m. Premier Doug Ford is urging everyone in the province to refrain from lighting campfires, as 52 wildfires burn across the province and smoke from fires in Quebec degrades air quality.

Ford says that half of the fires are started by lightning strikes and the other half are caused by human activity such as not properly extinguishing campfires.

Much of the province is under a fire ban, but Ford says he is urging people across the province not to light any campfires.

Read the full story

11:38 a.m. A thick blanket of acrid smoke has descended on Toronto and much of southern Ontario, the product of raging forest fires in northeastern Ontario and Quebec.

Air quality in the region has plummeted and by Tuesday evening, Toronto's air quality ranked among the worst in the world.

There's little relief on the horizon for the millions of residents living in the affected areas, as Environment Canada and the Province of Ontario forecast Wednesday that poor air quality will persist into the weekend.

Read the full story from the Star's Joshua Chong

11:35 a.m. The federal government is studying options for creating a new national disaster response agency.

The discussions come as Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season in history and several major cities are again blanketed in thick layers of smoke.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to update Canadians on the fire situation later today.

10:22 a.m. Residents of two northern Quebec communities are the latest to be hastily evacuated as a result of the province's wildfires.

Officials in Chibougamau and the nearby Cree community of Oujé-Bougoumou ordered the evacuations Tuesday night due to approaching forest fires and shifting winds in the north.

Chibougamau Mayor Manon Cyr announced the evacuation order for the town's roughly 7,500 residents, asking those without family nearby to gather in Roberval, about 250 kilometres away.

Read the full story

9:30 a.m. Ottawa residents awoke Tuesday morning to hazy skies and a thick blanket of smog caused by forest fires raging across Quebec.

Photos and videos pouring out of the nation's capital show the city shrouded with wildfire smoke, reducing visibility and almost entirely obscuring the sun.

The air quality index reading for downtown Ottawa was above a level 10 on Tuesday morning, indicating a "very high risk" to health.

Read the full story from the Star's Joshua Chong

9:12 a.m. A haze slowly settled over Ottawa and Toronto as smoke from the Quebec wildfires drifted southward, and Environment Canada is warning people that they could feel its impact over the next few days.

Northerly winds are pushing smoke plumes from Quebec's wildfires southward, causing poor air quality, the Star's Marissa Birnie reported.

The moon's reddish colour is also related to the wildfire smoke, which can also affect the colour of the sun.

8:45 a.m. New York City is asking people to limit outdoor activity, especially vulnerable populations, including those with respiratory or heart problems, older adults, and children. DC is reporting "very poor" air quality with reduced visibility expected between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. "Wearing a mask may limit exposure for those with respiratory illnesses," they tweeted.

8:30 a.m. "Forest fires in northeastern Ontario and Quebec continue to deteriorate the air quality. Special Air Quality Statements are in effect and have been expanded to Windsor and Attawapiskat for today," Environment Canada tweeted.

8:20 a.m. Wildfires are wreaking havoc in Canada right now. Among those affected are not only communities situated close to forest fires, but even towns and cities located hundreds of miles away.

As smoke from blazes in Quebec and northern Ontario spread, the air quality has gotten worse, along with smoky haze descending upon many communities, including in the Ottawa and Toronto areas.

What is causing wildfires to be especially deadly this year? And why is the sky shrouded in a sickly yellow haze?

Here is the Star's coverage of this year's wildfire season so far, with stories and explainers helping answer readers’ questions.

8 a.m. As forest fires raged in Quebec and northeastern Ontario, a yellow-tinted smoke settled upon Toronto. By evening, the city's air quality ranked among the world's worst, at times ahead of even Lahore, Pakistan, which was labelled the planet's most polluted city in 2022, according to IQ Air, a global air quality tracker.

Across the GTA, the haze resulted in cancelled recreational sports, postponed school field trips and notices sent to parents that schoolchildren would begin spending recess indoors on Wednesday, including across the York Region District School Board. The Toronto District School Board advised parents late Tuesday that "all strenuous outdoor activities, including athletic events" on Wednesday and Thursday would be rescheduled or moved indoors.

Read the full story from the Star's Ben Mussett

7:45 a.m. A blanket of smoke has impacted air quality in eastern Ontario – a region now experiencing the worst air pollution in North America as of Tuesday, June 6, data from the World Air Quality Index shows.

As forest fires continue to burn in Ontario and Quebec officials have issued warnings about the dangers wildfire smoke pose to human health.

Petawawa, Kingston and Cornwall all have "very unhealthy" air quality readings, according to the World Air Quality Index. Ottawa is classified as "unhealthy." There were no more specific data points to get more localized information for municipalities in the Ottawa Valley on the publicly available data.

Read the full story

7:35 a.m. "After reviewing the Air Quality Health Index and guidance from Environment Canada and Toronto Public Health, all TDSB TDESAA and TDSSAA scheduled events for Wednesday and Thursday have been postponed," the TDSB says.

7:30 a.m. Smoke from wildfires raging in Quebec is expected to blanket Toronto for much of the week, prompting a special air quality statement for the city and warnings of possible "high levels" of pollution.

With some Toronto residents already reporting the smell of smoke and conditions expected to worsen, experts say those in affected areas should consider wearing a mask and taking other precautions to reduce exposure.

"Every reduction in breathing this stuff provides a benefit to your health," said Jeff Brook, an associate professor at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry.

Read the full story from the Star's Joshua Chong

7:10 a.m. (updated) Officials in the U.S. capital have issued a "code red" air quality alert as smoke from wildfires in Quebec and Ontario continues to drift south.

More than a dozen states in the northeastern U.S. were under similar alerts, with schools in New York City and Washington, D.C., cancelling outdoor activities.

D.C.'s Department of Energy and Environment describes the air quality as "very unhealthy" and is urging people to remain indoors if possible.

7:05 a.m. As the skies fill with haze and wildfire smoke turns the moon red, prompting poor air quality warnings over large chunks of Ontario and Quebec, experts are warning that, barring any major climate-change mitigating factors, we may have to get used to this.

And that means getting used to the increased risk of lung disease, heart disease, cancer and the resultant strain on already taxed health-care resources that comes along with it.

As of Tuesday, most of southern and eastern Ontario and a large swath of Quebec were under Special Air Quality Statements largely thanks to Quebec wildfires burning out of control.

Read the full story from the Star's Steve McKinley

6:15 a.m. Environment Canada is forecasting an Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) of "High Risk" for Wednesday. As of 6:15 a.m. Wednesday the AQHI level was at 3 out of 10, meaning low risk.

The weather agency is forecasting moderate risk of 6 Wednesday evening, but conditions are expected to worsen by Thursday, with the agency expecting a high risk AQHI of 9.

You can view the risk levels for Toronto and many other cities in the province here.

6 a.m. The Toronto District School Board announced late Tuesday night that "outdoor activities and athletic events planned for tomorrow and Thursday" would be rescheduled or moved indoors where possible after reviewing the Air Quality Health Index and guidance from Environment Canada and Toronto Public Health.

The full list of events can be found here.

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