Fires across northwestern Ontario force evacuations, trigger air quality warnings
Wildfires in northwestern Ontario have forced multiple community evacuations and triggered widespread air quality warnings across the province and into the United States. Officials warn that dry conditions will likely increase fire activity in the coming days.
Why it matters
The fires highlight the increasing frequency and severity of climate-driven natural disasters and their cross-border environmental impact.
Pedestrians cross a road as wildfire smoke rolls across Toronto on Wednesday. Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail
Several communities in northwestern Ontario have been evacuated as wildfires devastate homes and infrastructure in the region, with the situation only expected to worsen.
More than 130 active wildfires burned in the province’s northwest Wednesday, as out-of-control blazes prompted evacuation orders for the communities of Armstrong, Collins First Nation, Lac La Croix First Nation, Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation and Whitesand First Nation, and provincial police closed highways.
Smoke from the wildfires turned Toronto’s skyline an eerie shade of yellow as air quality warnings across southern parts of the province raised health concerns and prompted outdoor event cancellations.
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